Day 61 Baker City, OR to John Day, OR

This morning we were in for a bit of a treat, because although we thought that we would be riding through only desert today, it was actually a national forest.  As we went into the forest, we realized that there were a number of Adventure Cycling people going through the same area as we were.  It's always nice to see other cyclists on the road.  It's become a more and more common sight as we head west.

Sneaky picture of these guys...

The morning was relatively uneventful.  We actually did quite a bit of climbing today, although it was very gradual, I think somewhere around 5000 feet of climbing.  At the lunch stop it started thundering and lightening and we were afraid that we wouldn't be able to finish the day (as a rule of safety, no biking in lightening or thundering).  The good news is that as soon as we descended the hill (after waiting for the weather to calm down first, of course), everything cleared up and the rest of the day was quite beautiful (although kind of hot).  Funny thing is, as we left the lunch stop we were all in such a big hurry to get to the host to avoid being rained out, but as soon as we saw that everything looked good, almost the entire team stopped to get ice cream.  Sometimes ice cream just takes priority over other things I suppose...

Why... would anyone ever create this... 10,000 miles of gravel road riding????!!!!

Thank you to our hosts for tonight, the Assembly of God in John Day.  We had a great dinner of brisket, something we haven't had in a very long time.  I think the last time we had it was in Ohio with Navigators... wow that seems like such a long time ago (please forgive me if somebody else served us brisket and I forgot!).

We managed to have an early team meeting tonight, which means I finally have time to catch up on this blog, write emails and postcards, etc... free time on the 4K is a rare gem sometimes..

Day 60 Cambridge, ID to Baker City, Oregon!

Although we knew we had a very long day ahead of us, we decided we would all try to move faster in the morning and wake up at 5AM, instead of 4AM (which is when we wake up on really hot or long days).  So the reason today was supposed to be such a difficult day is that aside from being long (111 miles), we would have to pass through Hell's Canyon.  No need to go into incredibly specific detail, but at some point in the day we descend into the Canyon (although technically it's a gorge, not a canyon), and then we spend a long time in the second half of the day climbing back out.  The most important detail being that although it would be gradual, we would be climbing over 9,000 feet.

I think everyone on the team was both somewhat dreading today, but at the same time looking forward to it.  Because Hell's Canyon lies just on the Oregon side of the border (yes, finally Oregon!), it's kind of a 4K rite to complete it.  For some complicated reasons, it was decided that Chelsea and I would be in the water van for the first half of the day, and then two other teammates would swap out after lunch so we could ride.  The reason for the midday switch is that pretty much everyone wants to ride across states (so you can get state sign pictures in your 4K jerseys / chamois), and as our final state, Oregon is probably the most important of all.  Although I was a bit disappointed about not being able to ride into 

Oregon directly, I actually enjoy being in the water van, so I was looking forward to it.

Everything in the morning went very smoothly.  The first water break went by with no problems of any kind.  We wanted to setup the second water break at the Idaho Oregon border (so we could get a team picture at the sign).  Unfortunately, as everyone was waiting for the team to assemble, the last team just wasn't pulling in at all.  We saw two out of the four come down the mountain (not Hell's Canyon yet, but still a great downhill from what I saw in the van).  However, we didn't see the last two teammates coming down, and when we saw the food van stop about a quarter mile up the mountain (no trees to block our view), we became slightly worried.  We thought perhaps they might have a flat or something, but when Chelsea and I drove up to check to make sure everything was ok, we were immediately asked to pick up Caitlin (who is a nurse) from the bottom of the mountain.

Long story short, one of the teammates skidded off the road on a downhill and fell off of her bike.  Fortunately, she is going to be okay and actually has already been discharged from the hospital.  It was a bit touch and go for a bit, especially when we realized that the EMTs had called in a helicopter.  Turned out that it was only because they wanted to take her to Boise, which is the nearest city with a level one trauma center.  Unfortunately she broke her collarbone and it seems extremely unlikely that she will be able to rejoin us on the route.  At best we're hoping we can see her in Portland.  Thankfully the injury turned out to be less serious (still serious of course) than we all initially feared.

Every 4K team has its share of injuries, but after Jamie's passing and Joanna breaking her ankle, it was incredibly obvious how sensitive we as a team have become to any incident (which seems well warranted, of course).

After our teammate was airlifted out (again, by this point we knew that she was almost certainly okay, she was responsive and laughing here and there), we were fortunate enough to meet a group from the local power plant (via dam on the Snake River I believe) who offered to help shuttle our entire team to a nearby park, where would have water and shade and bathrooms.  I'm not even entirely certain who these people were, but if you ever read this blog post, please know how grateful I am for your kindness (they even offered us homemade cookies, cookies!).

Once at the park, we decided that the majority of the team should stay together (the day was called and there would be no further riding), and that the van drivers would move as much of the luggage, gear, food, bikes, etc. to the host in Baker City, and then return for the rest of the bikes and all of the team.  So began my drive through Hell's Canyon with Chelsea (my water van partner), Margrethe, and Ashley.  In addition, Max and Walt came along (As ride director, Max wanted to go to meet our injured teammate in Boise, and Max needed Walt to rent a car since Max is under 25).  

It's strange, after all the bike riding this summer, I can't help but feel like I see the terrain so differently, even when I'm in a car.  You notice every ascent and descent no matter how gradual, you notice places you could stop and make a water break, etc. So as we went up and down the hills of Hell's Canyon, I was trying to picture what would be like to bike through there.  On the one hand, it was incredibly beautiful, with the river constantly to our left.  However, I couldn't help but worry about the road.  There were a lot of hairpin turns and switchbacks.  So many blind turns, around which a car might come flying at 45 mph would no thoughts of cyclists.  Although we saw very few other cars, I still couldn't help but wonder if we were actually better off not riding on the road anyway.  As I've said before, it's a major rite of passage for 4K to come through Hell's Canyon.  But within the context of our team and everything that has happened to us in the past 60 days, I still felt very hesitant.  If the road had somehow been closed off to traffic, I think the ride would have been amazing (a lot of climbing, but great descents as well).  But obviously that's an absurd dream (except for the RAGBRAI...check it out on a google).  It's days like these I wonder what it would be like to be in a bike race, where they actually do shut off all the roads to cars, aside from support vehicles.

Once we arrived in Baker City, we met up with a very kind man from St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Mike.  I was worried that we would inconvenience the host way too much by arriving early with just our stuff, but Mike was incredible kind and even helped us unload our gear and bikes.   After both vans were unloaded (a process that ALWAYS takes longer than I think it will), we made the drive back to the park where our teammates were waiting.  Although it took us quite awhile to go back to them, it turned out to be quite alright since apparently they had all fallen asleep at the lake (surprise surprise).  And actually once we arrived back at the host with the entire team, the reverend from the church, Aretha Boneracke, surprised us with a great dinner from Subway's.  As always, thank you so much to our hosts for being so generous.  

So while it was definitely disappointing to not be able to finish (or for me, ride at all) the day, I think the entire team was happy with the way everything was handled.  It's too bad that we've had so many incidents that we're almost used to them, but I suppose there's not too much we can do but pull ourselves together and continue.  We will be back on the bikes tomorrow and riding.  It's really too bad see another teammate forced to discontinue riding, but hopefully we will see her in Portland.

Hell's Canyon... looks beautiful, but would have been extremely dangerous I think on a bike

Made it to the last state...

Day 59 Boise, ID to Cambridge, ID

We actually had tailwind today!  In case you don't know what that means, the winds in North American tend to blow west to east.  Buuuuut since we're riding from east to west, it means that most of the days, the wind is actually against us.  Sometimes the wind is very weak and you can't really notice, but often times it's brutally strong and makes it very hard to go at a steady pace.  Once in awhile, either we head east or the wind changes directions to favor us.  When the wind is strong, it can make the biggest difference in the world.  Today we actually headed mostly north and slightly east (I think... at least definitely north), and we ended up getting a pretty good tailwind.  We were incredibly grateful, knowing that it would make a hard day like today go by that much faster.

Compliments to the water van for leaving incredibly early this morning to chalk us out of Boise.  Leaving cities is always difficult since there are so many turns and usually a lot of traffic.  The water van people (Dan and Emily Lake) left around 4:30AM I believe to go around the streets and chalk directions for us.  We've gotten lost or at least very confused every time we've left a major city, but I think this was the most successful one yet.  There was a brief stretch where there was no chalking from the van because we were on a path, and of course it somehow turned into gravel.  But fortunately we were able to reroute quickly.  Quite unfortunately, we had a very very angry pedestrian curse us out and call us "spandexians", or so I believe.  While it's somewhat disappointing to have someone disparage cyclists so much, to be frank about it we found it so hilarious that I think we're just going to call ourselves spandexians from now on...

The first local highway we were on for most of the morning made me think about Jamie and the accident.  Team Portland 2014 has definitely developed a reputation for fearing highways far more than other teams.  But obviously, we have good reason to do so.  There have been many instances where I think most teams would have just ridden through a highway with a lot of traffic or a very narrow shoulder or even the interstate, but for our team, these things are usually out of the question.  I can't help but wonder if we would be like other teams if we had never gone through the accident. I think back to the roads we road on before the accident in Pennsylvania and Ohio and wonder if we would still ride on them now.  Anyway, as you can imagine the first highway was not so great.  The shoulder cut in and out (a theme for the day) and there was a lot of traffic, although most cars were quite nice and moved over for us.

We ran into a bit of  team problem today.  When we arrived at mile 65 or so, where we predicted we would be having lunch, we found out that the food van would take at least 45 minutes to get the town where we were (Payette, ID, just across the border from Ontario, OR).  As most teams were already at the lunch spot or very close, we decided that it would be much better for the teams to continue onto the next town, just to cut down on the miles would have to ride after lunch.  A major factor was the heat... it was supposed to read over 100 degrees in the late afternoon, and obviously we try to avoid that kind of heat as much as possible.  Although this seemed like a great idea at the time, we didn't exactly anticipate what would happen to the last team.  Because they had had so many bike problems (mostly flats I believe), they were 20+ miles behind everyone else.  When we moved lunch up to mile 77 or so, they ended up having to wait to eat lunch until 330PM or so, and because the other groups ahead of them continued to move to beat the heat, they ended up not seeing anybody on the team for the rest of the day.  To make matters even worse, because the vans were tied up supporting the front groups, the last group received very little water van support, at some point I think 30 miles or so without it (although they filled up water at gas stations, etc).  This problem was brought up at the meeting tonight and I definitely think there are things that could have been better to support the last group and mistakes were made.  But to me, it raises questions about how 4K should be done.  How long should the first group wait before leaving water breaks (which were very short today, which contributed to the increasing gap)?  Part of me feels like it would be great if the first group waited until at least the last group arrived at the break, but I always understand why groups would really want to not have to wait.  As has become obvious, 4K has come to mean different things for different people, and for some finishing the day's ride is incredibly important because it's a completion of their promise to spend the day riding for someone they love.  Difficult questions to answer, not sure if there's any perfect solution...

One very very bizarre thing that happened.  Although we had tailwind almost all day, we had a brief period when we had headwind... which of course was during our descent from a very tall hill... oops, kind of ruined a descent, but I'm just grateful for the tailwind we got all day.

Tonight we are being graciously hosted by the Cambridge Bible Church.  After my group arrived (we were actually first to arrive, which is partially why I'm pondering this question of how long the first group should have to wait).  During dinner, I talked to a man named David whose wife had passed away from pancreatic cancer just two years ago.  It's discouraging that just about no matter wherever we go, we meet people whose lives have been affected by cancer.  However, to see a positive in all this, it's encouraging to know that everywhere we go, we have people who support what we are doing.

Day 58 Rest day in Boise, ID

Not much happened today, except that I caught up massively on the blogging.  So I didn't get to really see Boise (some people went rafting or tubing on the river), but I got a lot done, which is enough.  Tomorrow we'll be biking out of Boise, which should let me see other parts of the city.  One day I'd like to return and spend a good bit of time here (a common sentiment I have for the places we visit).

Boise State Stadium... one of the few places I was able to see in Boise

Emily Lipsitz doing whatever she is doing... huh??

Day 57 Mountain Home, ID to Boise, ID

A very strange day, but a good one nonetheless.  The only route from Mountain Home to Boise involved riding at least 16 miles on I-84 with 80 miles per hour speed limits... meaning cars are actually moving much faster.  We decided that as a team, it wouldn't be worth the risk and that no one on the team should ride it.  It was a somewhat difficult decision, since there were several people who would have been willing to ride, but I think as a team we made the right call.  Not just for safety sake, but also for team unity.  In order to make the shuttling easier for the vans, several of us (including me) decided to ride up to the freeway, rather than just wait for the vans to return to make the second trip (first trip being shuttling everyone else ahead of the freeway).  Today we are actually headed mostly north and not much west, so we had an amazing tailwind behind us most of the time we were riding.  Although the roads weren't particularly great, we managed to fly down the road around 20 miles an hour with minimal effort, all thanks to the wind (when the wind is bad, i.e. headwind, it can be difficult to go 10-12 miles per hour).

While we were shuttling, we received news that the team ahead of us had had three or four flats... on the road we were about to get onto after we were shuttled.  Seeing as the team has been blowing through tubes (sorry) in the last few days, we were apprehensive about the road and considered asking to be shuttled past that road, but I'm glad we changed our minds.  I think the team ahead of us must have just gotten really unlucky, because we didn't have any flats on the same road.  This is the first state where we're really encountering the goat heads, which are tiny plant spikes that in conjunction with the heat (which weaken tires I think?) give us flat after flat.  

The ride into Boise was actually incredible, because aside from being entirely downhill, there was a big bike path that meant we didn't have to worry about cars at all.  I had no idea what Boise would be like, but just like it was with Pittsburgh, so far it's been a very pleasant surprise and the entire area seems much more bike friendly than I thought.

Thanks to our hosts tonight and tomorrow, the First Presbyterian Church, right in the downtown Boise area.  They were generous to give us most of the entire fifth floor (biiiiiig church), so we won't be lacking space tonight.  

We also had the privilege of eating dinner with a different group of cyclists going across the country, Bike and Build (www.bikeandbuild.org).  Funny thing is, we've been on a similar route for the last week or two, and we actually were in Jackson Hole at the same time, but just weren't able to meet up (they told us they waited outside our vans for an hour, trying to see if we would come back!).  It was really nice to finally meet them, after hearing from locals about how there was this other group of cyclists going through the area one or two days before...  To be perfectly honest, I'm a bit jealous of the fact that their route never changes year to year, meaning they have the same directions year to year that are established.  We on the other hand, have different routes every day it seems sometimes, so getting lost is nothing uncommon or new.  Having said that, I almost think that it's more fun this way - that when we struggle as a team to get over 10 miles of gravel that appear out of nowhere, it brings us a bit closer together and gives us something to laugh about later.  I know that in the context of Jamie's accident, Team Portland 2014 4K is very different from all other cycling teams going across the country, but tonight was when it was the most apparent to me.

Day 56 Twin Falls, ID to Mountain Home, ID

Today was a challenge.  Emily Lipsitz, Mitch, Brady, and I had an amazing start to the day.  We finally turned somewhat north as well as west (in the past week or so we've been only heading mostly west and a bit south), meaning we would finally get some of that allusive tailwind (as opposed to only headwind).  We were flying and the first water stop came up so quickly (which is encouraging).  I had some minor knee aches (I think I pulled something, but again very minor), but the truth was that it was a really nice day.  It was supposed to be a 92.6 mile day, which at this point is normal (the distances between hosts have increased gradually in the past few weeks).

The problems started when we missed a chalk mark and missed a left turn.  Thankfully the were stopped by a different chalk mark... but from Bike and Build.  The chalking didn't look anything like our usual chalking, so we were very confused and called the water van, which is when we realized that we had gone about 5-6 miles further than we should have... oops.  Still, not too bad, so we turned around and made it to the water van (and on the way passed the most pot-holed (?) bridge in the world... Brady's phone actually fell out of his pocket).  However, after we continued after the water stop (including climbing a decent mountain), we were told to turn around and go back exactly the way we came.... gravel of course.  It was pretty frustrating to have to go back to the exact same town that we were just in, especially because we had talked to a local who told us that the only way into Mountain Home was the first way we came in (what we had initially thought was wrong).  We had appreciated his advice but assumed that there would be a different route and that we should just stay with the rest of the team.

Thankfully when the lunch van arrived in the same town, they brought a ridiculous amount of food with them, so everyone was happy anyway (we're not that difficult to please really).  We did end up having a very serious meeting about what our team policy should be when hosts ask us to be at dinner at a very specific time, and it seems unlikely that we'll be able to make it in that time frame.  There is definitely some tension on the team, since different people see the trip as having different purposes.  Some see the most important part of the trip as finishing each day that they dedicate to a family or friend, whereas some see the most important part of the trip as spreading awareness about cancer and meeting the hosts (who always have someone affected by cancer).  I personally would like to think that I can find some kind of compromise in the middle, but I think I gravitate towards the latter.  I don't mind too much if I can't finish for the day, but I'm bothered if I feel like I put in a lot effort to finish.  However, even more important than that, I would find it really rude for us to ignore when hosts want us to be there.  We're their guests and so many of them have gone out of their ways to provide food, housing, laundry, showers, etc. that I feel obligated to at least meet them if they're there, even at the expensive of finishing.

So the rest of the day was quite a struggle.  We didn't get lost anymore, but the route was difficult because 1. all of the sudden it became very hot (forecast said 92, but it was over 100), 2. we had flat after flat because the Idaho Goat Heads (tiny spikes from plants) that really slowed us down.  As a result, we weren't able to bike all the way into Mountain Home, but thanks to our group adding on miles by getting lost, we actually managed to hit 92.6 miles for the day.  Despite the fact that we didn't quite make it to town, I would still say it was a challenging but rewarding day.

Teammates climbing as I try to cheer them on (out of breath at that point I believe)

Behold the greatness of the helmet hair after a full day of riding

And our hosts at the River of Life Family Worship Center were incredibly kind to us.  I think the pastor of the church sensed that we were in trouble with the heat and met up with us in his pickup truck, which let's just say really saved the day.  We were able to shuttle just about everybody around the same time and not leave anyone out in 100+ degree heat.  And when we arrived at the church, I was really glad we had shuttled.  The church had told us that it would be okay if we arrived after 7PM, although they wouldn't be able to be there and the food would be cold.  I didn't care about the food being cold (which is the case 90% of the time on 4K anyway), but I really wanted to meet the hosts, and they were all incredibly kind to us.  They shuttled us into their homes to shower and actually took our laundry to their homes to do for us.  It never fails to amaze me, when we run into people that are so willing to take complete strangers into their lives and treat them like friends and family.  I think I would have been really disappointed to have missed seeing the hosts tonight.  Although it's frustrating when we don't finish days, I always remind myself that I can always go on long bike rides, but it's unlikely that I'll be able to meet these wonderful hosts ever again.

Day 55 American Falls, ID to Twin Falls, ID

Today was a great day.  Having had bad wind for the past several days, I decided to be super strategic with the way my group rode.  Because we had a good wide road with very few cars, we switched off between riding in doubles (2x2) and single file to save our legs against the wind (when you ride behind someone, or even better someone(s), it makes your effort much much easier because they block the wind for you).  Fortunately while at times the winds were bad, they were never as bad as I feared they would be, and it kind of turned out that I over prepared, which in this cause kind of worked out.

I won't say who it was, but today we had a teammate who had... a comically troubled day.  Nothing too serious, just funny.  At some point, a truck left a trail of dust that got caught in her eye and her contact fell out of her eyes.  Then she managed to sit on a prickly bush and ended up having the entire team pick them off of her butt.  To top things off, right before the last water stop, her nose started bleeding (quite a bit too), but instead of stopping as everyone thought she would, she insisted that we continue to the water stop, which was only a mile or so away.  Typical 4K day I guess.

Yup those are bullet holes

Amazing gorge today... here's a pic.  Complete surprise that we did not see coming.  We saw it as we crossed the bridge, and we were grateful that there was a scenery area right after the bridge.

Surprise gorge = very nice way to end day

With Kelsey at the gorge... wish you could have been there to see how beautiful it was

One more special thing to note - after we ate dinner, my group went back out to the streets of Twin Falls.  We had biked I think around 95 miles or so, and we wanted to up it to 100 miles to complete a century.  Kelsey dedicated her day to her grandfather who passed away from her cancer, and because she had been in the vans the other days, this was her first opportunity to complete a century.  We just cruised around Twin Falls, enjoying either the lack of wind (when blocked by buildings), or actual tailwind.  Even though we were tired from a long day of riding, it was still an incredible 5 miles to finish.  I had actually ridden today for my friend Megan, whose sister passed away from Hodgkin's Lymphoma two years ago to this day.  So the 100 miles are for Kelsey's grandfather and my friend Megan and her family.

Day 54 Idaho Falls, ID to American Falls, ID

Finally, a slightly shorter day.  The day began with trying to fit Jamie's bike to Jocelyn, who volunteered to ride it.  So I've been the one who has been fitting Jamie's bike to everyone and while at this point I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing, I was really afraid that Jocelyn wouldn't be able to ride it.  She's really short and has an extra extra small woman's frame, compared to Jamie's medium frame.  The extra extra small is almost too big for her already, so I couldn't possibly see how Jocelyn would ever be able to ride it.  We even took off Jamie's saddle and replaced it with Jocelyn's stock saddle, just because the stock saddles are thinner and would give Jocelyn a better shot at reaching the pedals with her feet.  I saw that she was able to clip in (but only), but that her toes were terribly pointed down as she pedaled.  I knew it would cause problems in the back of her knee and possibly the hamstrings, but I'm proud to say that Jocelyn rode that bike the entire day.  I kept on asking her at every water break if she wanted to switch bikes, but she always shook her head said she wanted to continue.  Jocelyn I don't know if you'll ever read this, but I'm so proud of you for riding Jamie's bike, which I described at tonight's meeting as "medically inadvisable" for her to do.  While I really tried my best to fit her to the bike, it wasn't anything I did but Jocelyn's own sheer will and determination that carried the day.

Because we were in Idaho, of course we happened to run into the Idaho Potato Museum, and what could we do but stop there.  I've heard that Idaho is known for potatoes, but I kind of assumed that they wouldn't be so obsessed about it themselves, or promote the state image so much through potatoes.  Apparently I was completely wrong, because even that museum gift shop had just about every potato related thing you could think of, and we didn't even get a chance to go into the exhibits at all (granted the place was tiny, but I still like to think of it as a the Met of potato museums...).

How you know you made it

Today we also had the luck of passing more dogs than all the dogs that we've passed on the other days combined (or so I think).  For some reason they were all unleashed and of course barked at us and ran after us.  It's a good things we've gotten pretty good at aiming with other water bottles, because a dog running into your wheel when you're moving at 15 mph can be really dangerous, but for the dog and you.  On a bright note, we found a stray dog that was incredibly sweet and friendly and followed us for miles.  It reminded me of Ohio, when Portland (as we called him) ran with the first team for 5-6 miles I think.  Some of the other dogs that we passed attacked Portland #2 (not very creative with dog names, I know), and we tried to protect him by squirting the other dogs with water.  Unfortunately we lost Portland #2 at some point and I hope he successfully finds his way back home without too much trouble...

'

Incredibly friendly dog #2, aka Portland #2

Thanks to our hosts tonight in American Falls, the St. John's Lutheran Church.  Special thanks to them, because the food van (who did a great job getting lunch donations by the way), accidentally backed up into a church member's car and did a good bit of damage, but they were incredibly understanding about it.  Somehow we've managed to accumulate a number of incidents with the vans (big surprise I suppose, when you give a bunch of 21-26 year olds two fifteen passenger vans..), but we've come out relatively unscathed.  Anywhooo, aside from the accident, thanks to the church for a great great dinner and surprise showers (meaning we thought we would have to go somewhere else to shower, but they were actually right at the church).  It might not usually be a big deal to have to shuttle 5 minutes to shower, but after a long, long day of biking, it can make all the difference in the world.  Although I can't remember any names (too tired already), a number of church members took a lot of interest in talking to us and getting to know us a little bit, which was very nice.

Although today was overall a great day, I have to end on a negative note.  I know it's not good to do so, but I can't help do it because something happened today that truly upset me.  As I said before, Jocelyn had a lot of difficulty riding Jamie's bike because it simply was far too big for her.  I found out that for whatever reason, she had been left behind by her team and forced to ride by herself for over thirty minutes.  Aside from the fact that 4K riders are never permitted to ride alone (for safety reasons), I found it incredibly discouraging that someone riding Jamie's bike, especially someone who was making an incredibly effort to ride a bike far too larger for her and just fighting through the pain anyway, would be left behind.  I think I'll stop writing right now, because I'm so upset about it that I feel like I can't write anything positive anymore.  At least, I know we as a team will talk about it and resolve it.

Day 53 West Yellowstone, MT to Idaho Falls, ID

Today started off with me getting nearly hanged... ok just kidding, but kind of.  Taylor and I were in the food van, and when we tried to unpack the U-Haul truck this morning, the key that was slung around my neck got caught on the door.  When Taylor pulled the door up to open it, my head shot straight up and my neck stretched out quite a bit... but we still laughed about it.

Getting breakfast for the team from McDonald's at 5AM... ouch

We also had a situation involving the trash that was somehow both hilarious and incredibly frustrating.  Usually someone is assigned the chore of disposing of the trash in the dumpster, but no matter how hard we looked, we just couldn't find one.  So Taylor and I ended up with the honor, and let's just say that an incredibly heavy bag of trash was dragged across the concrete, a small hole (which may have been present before) opened up and some yogurt spilled... and by spilled, I mean streaked across the sidewalk about 20 feet.  So we ended up trying to wash it out with water / soap so we didn't leave a mess at the host.  Think we did a pretty good job...

Usually I'm nervous to be in the food van because I personally feel that there's a lot more pressure, but I have to say that Taylor and I did quite well today.  Even before we began, the water van called us and told us that they had had time to stop by a grocery store in West Yellowstone (the town where we stayed) and had ben told that the store would give our team something if we just came back!  Super excited, we headed to the grocery store... only to be told that the store had already given a box of food to a cycling team last week... presumably Bike n' Build.... oops.  First come first serve, I suppose.  But after that, our fortunes really turned.  We stopped by a nearby bakery and upon hearing our story, just handed us cinnamon rolls, croissants, all without hesitancy.  We also had great luck at a different grocery story, which we almost skipped.  Good thing we didn't, because the manager actually gave us a $40 gift certificate.  $40 might not sound like a lot to feed 26 people, but by this point, we've become quite efficient at stretching every penny.  Whether it's buying the generic versions, or day old bread, I think $40 can feed most of the team.

Also an amazing waterfall we saw... Mesa waterfalls... upper and not lower I think.  Feel free to correct me if you're from Idaho...

Afterwards, we went to a small town of about a thousand called Ashton, where we had incredibly reception by local businesses.  The highlight, however, was at a restaurant called the Frohstop.  The owner immediately offered us full combo meals for half of our team, which we knew together with the groceries and bakery goods, would be more than enough.  She also told us the story of a local two year old child who was struck and killed by a car that was backing up and didn't see him.  A tragedy like that really resonates with our team and our ride, so we couldn't help but think of Jamie when we heard.  Some of us donated to help cover the funeral costs, and I know we'll all keep that family in mind.

After a riverside lunch (where people inevitably went swimming of course), we continued.  Taylor, Joanna (who got into our van from the water van) and I were working on getting more food donations, but then we heard that we would need to shuttle people in order for them to make it to dinner on time.  Surprise surprise, I have to shuttle people in the food van (have had to do so, every time I'm in the food van).  Because we wanted to speed things up, we just dumped all of the luggage on the ground in the parking lot, and then hurried back to pick our people up.  It's disappointing to not finish, but a lot of people still rode over 90 or even 100 miles at least.  Two groups of people finished at around 133 miles.  I'm a bit disappointed I didn't get to a chance to go on such a long ride, but I'm glad I was able to help my team.  I can always go on a 134 mile ride later (or at least attempt it I suppose)...

We're being hosted by the Trinity Methodist Church.  We had a great dinner, including our first Idaho potatoes!  After dinner, I dropped off Joanna and Chris off at the airport so they could rent a car.  They are heading back to Jackson, WY for Joanna's surgery on her ankle (she broke it hiking in the Tetons, in case you didn't read a previous post).  But of course seeing that this is Joanna, we had to stop for ice cream.  They'll be leaving us tonight but coming back sooner than we think.

Day 52 Yellowstone

FINALLY this day arrived!  So many of us have been looking forward to seeing Yellowstone and it seemed like it would never be here.  Since I think what we did today is best explained via pics, I'll keep the words short and post as many pics as I can.

Part of the team at Yellowstone Lake

Lake + Geysers

Bandana + Hat = ? Also realizing these pictures do NOT capture the grandeur of the lake at all

Better

Canoes on the lake... who would have thought

A few noteworthy things - I did feel like biking through here as a group of 26 would be very dangerous, as the roads had little to no shoulder and very very blind turns everywhere.  We did see a number of cyclists usually in a pair, but the idea of biking around these roads made me nervous.  This is a 4K rule that needs to be kept in place (no biking through Yellowstone).

Quick word about Old Faithful... we all showed up to see it erupt, but were so confused because we saw a couple of other Geysers erupting around it.  For a few minutes we were all waiting in anticipation, and when it (at first anyway) kind of gave a very very weak eruption, I was afrad that it would be the most disappointing thing ever.  Thankfully just a few minutes later it actually erupted and everyone was very happy to see it.

Day 51 Jackson to Yellowstone... but not actually

Ok so today we were supposed to head to Yellowstone, but guess what surprise surprise Yellowstone isn't really a place you can do in about two hours only.  For some reason none of us thought this through too clearly (perhaps camping is getting to us), so we woke up really late, decided to go back into Jackson for breakfast (which is kind of the wrong direction in terms of where we were staying)... and eventually gave up on the idea of going to Yellowstone today.  We figured we'd go tomorrow, when we would have a full day to enjoy it.  We kind of bummed around Jackson all day, and then Kelsey and I walked around the town trying to find this bike shop, which in her words, "had a German sounding name."  We somehow ended up at a brew pub (?) that had some great stickers and we even found a vending machine for bike supplies, including tubes, tire levers (I think), and chains.  Crazy idea, but an amazing one, since if you need a tube to change out a flat but the bike shop is already closed, etc., it would be perfect. After dinner we headed back to the campsite to just relax and get some rest.  Granted, we've gotten a lot of rest in the past few days since we haven't been able to bike, but after 40+ days of biking, I don't think anyone is complaining...

Kelsey at the bike supplies vending machine... is this not the greatest idea ever?

Day 50 Rest day Jackson

Today started off as just a normal day.  We went into Jackson for our rest day (a very touristy town, by the way).  A pleasant surprise was that the Chris Ewing's sister (our host in Lousville, KY) lives out here and offered to do all of the team's laundry for us.  It's amazing what some people will do for essentially strangers.  Our team encountered her in a parking lot in Jackson by sheer coincidence, and yet here she is, offering to help our team so much.

After just lounging around Jackson, we decided we would go on an aerial tram that takes us to the top of Rendexvous mountain, which is a part of the Tetons.  We were at the top, enjoying amazing views and taking great pictures when we received word that Joanna, who had gone hiking with a different group in the Tetons, had hurt her ankle on the mountain side.  We were incredibly worried, and the next several hours became all about getting her and the rest of the team down safely.  Fortunately everything worked out okay.  She ended up being airlifted via helicopter off of the mountain (she went up incredibly high apparently, even higher probably than the Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the area).  Although all the logistics were a bit complicated and we ended up having to drive back and forth quite a lot, we picked Joanna up at the hospital in very good spirits (although she was quite hungry).  It was a stressful end to the day, but I think we handled as well as we can.  Unfortunately the ankle is broken, but Joanna is going to try to see a specialist in Jackson as soon as possible.  It's really too bad that she probably won't be able to ride into Portland with us, but I know she'll be there and she'll continue to be a part of the team in every way possible.

Somewhat shaky and wobbly tram ride up

Team photo on aerial tram

Top of Rendezvous Mountain, 10,927 feet... ok some people might climb that high via hiking, but we did it via aerial tram... still counts I think

Joanna after breaking her ankle... in better spirits than we were I think

Day 49 Dubois to Jackson

Today we broke up into riding groups via geographical locations.  I wasn't sure whether I'd be placed as a Chicago representative or North Carolina representative, but I ended up in the group that I'm pretty sure should have been just called miscellaneous or everybody else.  It was me (Chicago), Brady (Oregon), Dan (Ohio), Patricia and Katrina (both Arizona).  They called it the Wild West and Midwest... but psh...

Anyway, the day started with an early climb up the side of a typical Rockies mountain, meaning long, long but very gradual.  Near the summit, we ran into a beautiful lake that we just knew we had to have lunch there.  After spending what seemed like an eternity there, we finally rode up the remaining half mile up to the summit and took a ton of pictures.  As it is whenever we arrive at beautiful places, it was very emotional to remember that Jamie should have been here with us, with us on the trip all along.  But to the best that we can, we honor her (Emily Lake is riding Jamie's bike today) and remember her.

The day became a lot tougher as we descended down the mountain.  First, we encountered a crazy headwind that just made it impossible to go much faster than 25 mph, which might sound not so bad, but seeing as my usual goal is to reach 50mph at some point down the mountain, it wasn't all that great... We even had a few uphills on the descent (which I just don't understand... ok I do, but it makes descending less fun *sigh *).  I also had a flat tire mid descent, and thankfully I managed to flag down Dan, who has a very bad but kind of functional frame pump.

I look like a giant in this picture (standing on hill)... the one time I'll look tall *sigh*

The continental divide, we meet yet again

6% is gradual (not quite as thrilling as the Appalachians, in which you just drop down the side of the mountain), but 17 miles of it isn't bad

As we headed into Jackson, we realized that the route had a couple of problems.  The only road that went from where we were to Gros Ventures camp site (actually outside of Jackson) is terrible terrible gravel, which our team tries to avoid at all cost.  However, the other way into it, we'd been told, adds some number of miles and more importantly, the shoulder is not so great.  We decided half of the team would shuttle, while the other half would ride into Jackson, just to save some time and gas.  I was originally in the group to be shuttled, my bike loaded up on the roof and everything, but at the last second I changed my mind and offered someone else my seat so I could ride.  And I'm really glad I did.  We knew the Tetons were close and that we'd be encountering them soon, but the views that we saw were spectacular and pretty much unbelievable.  The mountains became just taller and taller as we got closer to them... 

Tetons... no explanation required, really

Also, buffalo.  Out here they are completely wild and cross the road whenever they feel like it (and trust me it happens more often than you would think)

When we arrived at the camp site, our teammates had been incredibly kind and already set up the tents, the fire, and somehow cooked chicken for us in the campfire with essentially no cooking equipment whatsoever.  Smores and other fun things followed.  It was a long day, but worth every mile.

Day 48 Lander to DuBois, WY

Today we had hoped would be an easier day after yesterday, and it sort of was... the first part of the day was great with moderate wind, but beautiful scenery and just pleasant riding overall.  I was in a more ride-oriented group, so we made great time pace lining and just trying to get there.  Unfortunately the last 20 miles or so turned into a nightmare as we encountered incredibly strong headwinds.  I'm not sure exactly what the mph was but it was pretty bad and let's just say the last 20 miles took over 2.5 hours.  It just seemed like there was headwind after headwind.  There was a brief moment when a canyon wall blocked the wind for us, and it was amazing, the feeling of being able to bike faster than 10 miles an hour for once...

Fairly certain my butt has gotten larger on this trip, definitely thighs do not fit into jeans as well anymore

A more serious picture with my GoPro... by GoPro, I mean holding an iPhone in my hand while biking

Not much of an explanation needed.  Only person remaining who has yet to fall is Emily Lake.. we're coming for you

Tonight we're being hosted by the St. Thomas Episcopal Church.  We had a great dinner of pizza and for the first time in my life, we ended up showering at a laundry mat.  We paid for the showers quarter by quarter, and I managed to spend just $1.00, although I think Chxris beat me with only 75 cents... impressive... or ew perhaps.

Because today is a Friday, it has been exactly 5 weeks since Jamie's accident.  It seems surreal that so much time has already passed since then, and yet it feels like moments ago.  We had a brief moment of silence to remember Jamie.  A fitting tribute.

Day 47 Rock Springs to Lander, WY

Today we finally got back on our bikes, and since we wanted to just jump right back into the deep end, we had a 120 mile day.  The funny thing about today was that everybody thought it would be incredibly difficult.  Aside from being very long, we thought there would be tons of climbing, including a mountain at the end of the day.  In order to make sure that as many people rode as many miles as possible, we thought that job of water van should be taken in 20 mile shifts, so no one had to be biking for so long.

Believe it or not, we've crossed over the continental divide so many times that it's kind of getting old.  For some reason I can't find a picture of myself with this sign, so here is one of Margarethe and Emily Lake

Well turns out the day was so much easier than anticipated.  We had favorable wind all morning, and although there were some climbs, nothing too intense, and definitely no mountain at the end.  Oops.. Well, surprise no mountain is much more preferable to surprise mountain, so I doubt anybody cared (although we do like climbing mountains!)

Tonight's hosts, the Covenant Presbyterian Church,  are really wonderful.  We have the chance to eat dinner with them outside, while looking at the surrounding mountains and hills and beautiful landscapes of Wyoming.  I learned that unlike Nebraska, a lot of people who live in Wyoming aren't actually from the state originally.  When we were in Nebraska, especially in the small towns, it was hard to find someone who was from a different state.  At most, you might find someone from a different part of the Nebraska, but that would be about it.  Here we met people from all over - I suppose it's no surprise they want to live in such a beautiful state.

After dinner (which featured coffee at the end... which we all drank of course, even though we needed to go to bed in just a few hours... but actually it was great), the hosts showed us to the Sinks Canyon Park, where water rushes down into a hole and emerges out at a different site after about two hours.  I don't exactly understand what is going on, but it was really beautiful and we all took a ton of pictures.  

As usual, pictures don't really do it justice, but believe me these sights were spectacular.  If you're from the East Coast, you should be jealous

It's great to have made it here on our bikes today - it really makes seeing theses places all that more special and meaningful knowing that we biked there.

Day 46 Rawlins to Rock Springs, WY

Unfortunately today is another day of shuttling, because just like yesterday, there is no road between hosts aside from the interstate.  It's hard when there are back to back days when we can't ride, but safety does come first without a doubt.  Several people had actually taken most of our gear and bikes over to Rock Springs last night, just to make shuttling over there easier.  We are being graciously hosted by the First United Methodist Church.

Rock Springs is actually quite a large town, so it was nice to be able to walk around a lot, get some food at a deli, go into a bike shop (and ask for more stickers of course), and so forth.  We wanted to try doing some hikes, but unfortunately aside from the incredible heat, the vans couldn't really make it up the hills to the starts of the trail, so that kind of fell through.  On the bright side, this happened:

Uhhhh... nightmares for the rest of the trip

Regardless of what happened, however, I think most of us enjoyed the two days off.  We have a long day tomorrow, so any extra rest will be useful.
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Day 45 Saratoga to Rawlins

Day 45 Saratoga, WY to Rawlins, WY

Today could have been a very frustrating day for the team, but it wasn't.  The road between Saratoga and our next hosts in Rawlins, WY is an incredibly busy interstate with very fast moving traffic, including a lot of trucks.  Although the route is technically rated okay for cycling, we as a team decided there is just no way we would take such a risk.  The only other roads connecting the two towns are gravel roads that even cars have trouble getting through sometimes.

So as a team, we decided to shuttle between the two towns.  Usually this would really frustrate us because we're here to bike and bike as many miles as we can, but today was a wonderful day, all thanks to our incredibly generous hosts at the Saratoga Alliance Church.  I said in yesterday's post that although they are first year hosts, 4K (and each of us on the 2014 Portland team) should make every effort to come back to this wonderful town.  Today affirmed that idea in every way possible. Aside from a wonderful breakfast, when the church heard our predicament, they told us about all of the great places in Saratoga we could go to relax and rest, including some hot springs (unfortunately I didn't personally make it to the hot springs, but I'm sure they were great... despite the fact that it's the summer).  When they realized that we would have some trouble shuttling all of the luggage, bikes, and people, a church member stepped up and offered to move a lot of our food for us with a pickup truck.  When we didn't know where to go for lunch donations in such a small town, the church came together and prepared lunch for us, which was supposed to be "nothing special", but then turned out to be elk steaks that they had hunted and processed entirely locally (even the localvoire Kelsey had some).  I think Peter said it best when he said, "when I called Pastor Scott a few months ago, I was a total stranger.  But now I feel like I've known you guys forever.  This is the first time you've hosted us, but it feels like you've been hosting us since the very beginning of 4K."  Pastor Scott and Saratoga Alliance Church - if you read this, I just want to say thank you yet again.

Sorry Pastor Scott... for some reason this seems to be the only picture I took in your lovely town... but it did make me laugh...

I could keep gushing about Saratoga, but our trip continues onto Rawlins.  As we shuttled to Rawlins, it became quickly obvious that we made the correct decision to shuttle and not bike.  Although the interstate had a very wide shoulder, driving 75-80 mph in the vans, we were being passed incredibly quickly by cars moving around 100 mph.  Whether it's legal or not, the team wouldn't have felt safe biking in such dangerous conditions.

Tonight we're being hosted by the First United Methodist Church in Rawlins.  We had a great dinner of stir fry, and I actually had a really nice chance to have a conversation with someone from the church about mountain biking around the area.  Definitely seems more of a possibility than riding road bikes on interstates.  One of the jokes is that we're actually mountain biking across the country... sometimes seems like a bit too much of a reality.  Next year 4K... maybe mountain bikes?

For Team Portland 2015 maybe? Gravel road, no problems...

Day 44 Laramie, WY to Saratoga, WY

What a difficult but rewarding day.  I woke up sick, knowing that I would have to climb a mountain.  Not exactly the most ideal conditions to do so much climbing, but I wasn't about to give up just yet.  Today I rode with Patricia, Joanna, and Mitch.  While the first part of the ride was relatively flat (some rolling hills), we all knew what was coming soon.  I think also the gradual but steady climb in elevation really got to us.  By the time we approached the mountain, we were a bit tired and I was cold.  Thankfully there was a very nice store (actually called the Friendly Store) in a small town right before the climb began.  Believe it or not, as everyone started taking their jackets off as they became hot (including Emily Lake and Katrina, who are always the last ones to take their jackets off), I bought a hot tea to drink.  I wasn't shivering or anything like that, but I was definitely cold.  At that point I decided to continue with the climb, sick or not.  It was our first major climb in the Rockies and I couldn't let it pass without at least attempting it.

About a mile into the climb (still feeling pretty good), Patricia, who was feeling really light headed, decided to get into the van.  Unfortunately at that point, we had told Joanna and Mitch to go on ahead of us since we were slowing them down.  Instead of letting the water van go ahead and ask them to wait for me, I decided for some reason to use what little energy I had left to sprint up the mountain as fast as I could, killing both my lungs and legs to bridge the gap.  Thankfully the water van caught up to Joanna and Mitch anyway and asked them to stop and wait for me.  Unfortunately, by that point I had exhausted myself and was totally out of breath.  Now, perhaps at that point I should have gotten into the van... but of course I didn't and so commenced the hardest climb on the trip yet.  The climbs in Pennsylvania were definitely technically more difficult, but on those I don't think I ever considered quitting or vanning, but today I thought about it a number of times.  I'm grateful for all the teammates I had with me who motivated me to keep going and made sure I was feeling ok(ish).  The climb wasn't particularly steep, it just went on forever and ever, and since I had a terrible cough I had a lot of trouble breathing (again, not helped by the high elevation).

While it was truly a struggle, we made it to the lunch stop (which was 3-4 miles from the very top).  I was really grateful to have a break from the climbing, and I lost track of how many times people asked if I was okay or if I wanted to van the rest of the climb (since there were only several miles left).  I decided I would continue, and while I can't say with certainty it was the smartest thing to do, I can say it was worth it.  The top of the mountain (Snowy Range) was incredibly beautiful and nothing like we've seen before.  Not only were the rock formations amazing, but there was even snow and we threw snow at each other, something I've never had a chance to do in my life in July.

View right before the summit I think... gradual climb, but loooong (ended up being around 12 miles I believe)

Cold, out of breath, fatigued, but worth it at the top

Emily Lipsitz and me... yes we have our silly moments...

Tribute to Jamie at the top of the mountain

 Precisely because the view was so beautiful and amazing, it was also very emotional as we couldn't help but think about Jamie and how she couldn't be here.  These moments on the trip can be depressing (to be frank about it), but in the end we're always glad that we kept on going, that despite the fact that she can't be here with us in person, we'll keep her memory alive by continuing to ride her bike to the places we know she would have loved to have seen.

After spending what seemed like an eternity at the top, we finally made our descent (always the reward after a hard climb).  Just like the ascent, the descent was gradual but long.  In fact, even longer than the way up (17 miles I think vs 12 miles or so).  We checked everyone's brakes to make sure they were tight / closed for safety reasons, and one by one we went... only to be surprised by some unexpected uphills on the way down from the mountain.  I have to say, some of those uphills, as tiny and gradual as they were, made me question whether I was going to actually make it all the day down the mountain.  Fortunately the hills were gone after just a few miles, and after that it was all an amazing downhill.  I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to cover 17 miles in such a short amount of time.  To be honest I think I preferred the short but ridiculous steep descents of the Appalachians (3-4 miles at 10-15%) to the Rockies (17 miles around 5-6%), but it was an amazing experience nonetheless, especially the spectacular views (I finally concede that the scenery in the West is better...)

Despite telling Kelsey and Jocelyn (van drivers for the day, who I think were afraid that I would just pass out on the way down) that I would just coast most of the way, I ended up pedaling quite a bit on the way down.  When I finally finished the 17 mile descent, both of them looked at me and demanded I get into the van.  At that point common sense finally kicked and while I joked about finishing the last 16 miles or so, I got into the van.  Even though it was disappointing to not finish, I'm grateful to have had such amazing teammates who motivated me to climb up and down the mountain, the big challenge for the day.

We arrived at the hosts for the night, the Saratoga Alliance Church.  Dinner was delicious and much needed after the climbing.  The generosity and sincerity of the church was really obvious in every manner, but I want point out one particular act of kindness that really meant a lot to the team.  One of our teammates, Chelsea, had really struggled with the high elevation and had become incredibly dehydrated on the way down from the mountain, to the point that she wasn't able to finish the descent.  One of the church members, who I believe was a paramedic, actually gave Chelsea an IV to rehydrate her and it became incredibly obvious how dehydrated she was, as we saw the drips just flow into her.  That kind of medical care is definitely not cheap and to have someone at the church just do it without any hesitation really means a lot to the team.  Thankfully Chelsea recovered quickly.  Saratoga Alliance Church may be first year hosts, but I know 4K will do everything to come back one day... including me, whether via 4K or just as a cyclist or a random traveller in Saratoga, WY.

Dehydration Recovery (note the IV to the right!)

Tonight I'm actually staying with Pastor Scott Stinson and his family right next to the church.  Despite being sick still, I really felt so much better and rejuvenated by the dinner and the church's kindness toward us.  The Stinson Family and I had a really nice conversation about everything... not just 4K and the funny stories we have, but the rides coming up in Wyoming, Yellowstone, the former town that was Jeffrey City, and so much more.  As I've said before, it really means a lot to me to be able to actually talk to our hosts and learn about their lives.  Saratoga might be a small dot on the map, but I know I'll never forget it.