Virginia City, etc. - June 29

Today we rode from Twin Bridges to Ennis, a trip of maybe 45 miles that took us through Virginia City. There we recreated an old photo, which includes dad peering into a window that Rosie was looking in 25 years ago.

It may have been nothing then, but now it is a gift shop.

Camp stove

As you may remember, our 25-year-old camp stove didn't work from Day 1, so we got a new one. The new one required a lot of scrutiny, but was working great.

Lately, though, it doesn't switch to burning that nice blue flame, but burns as a yellow fire, which is not what you want. This development has led to more scrutiny.

Jackson to Twin Bridges, Mont.

We rode a long way today: 76 miles. The riding included two short, steep passes: Big Hole and Badger passes. Approaching Badger Pass we came upon some people in cars, on horses and on four-wheelers driving a bunch of cattle, some of whom were in the road. (If you're my Facebook friend, you can see a short video of this.)

Interestingly, 25 years ago around this same area we came upon a lone man on a horse driving a whole mess of cattle in a much more orderly manner.

From the top of Badger Pass, we had
a pretty good downhill ride into Dillon, where we ate at McDonald's. From there, we went 28 more miles to Twin Bridges, a ride that would have been a lot nicer without the persistent headwind.

We're staying at a fabulous bicyclist-only campground. It is owned by the town and has everything a bicyclist could want, including an enclosed pavilion.

(Update: The bike camp was really, really nice until a self-described "trout bum" and his dog set up shop in the pavilion. There are still nice outside facilities ... but still.)

Darby, Mont., to Jackson, Mont.

We rode 75 miles today. The major event was an 8-mile climb up Lost Trail/ Chief Joseph Pass. It was tough. I felt pretty good on the way up, but was also anxiously waiting to see if I would hit the wall. It was sunny, but also cool on the way up. I was pleased to see a familiar sign at the summit, which allowed me to recreate some old poses. Someone else at the top took our photo.

After the pass, we had some downhill followed by some level sections that were aided by some wind. We got into this huge valley, which looks like Kansas put in between distant mountain ranges.

We went through Wisdom, Mont., where 25 years we experienced an attack of mosquitos, which thrive on the flood irrigation. I had prepared for this before the trip, but inexplicably couldn't find my bug spray. The mosquitos didn't show up and a waitress said last night's cold -- temps in the 30s -- may have suppressed them. The mosquitos arrived later as we got toward Jackson, where we're staying at a hot springs lounge.

Sometime in the last 25 years, Jackson Mercantile repainted their storefront.

Tomorrow, we're hoping to make it past Dillon to the biker-friendly town of Twin Bridges.

Chief Joseph Pass

I was happy to see that the sign on the top of Chief Joseph Pass is pretty much the same, which allowed me to imitate Keith's poses from 25 years ago.

Missoula to Darby

With the threat of rain and after a night with some snoring fellow bikers, we left our hostel at 6:30. It was clear weather at first but then clouds started to roll in from the mountains. We're biking through the Bitteroot Valley and the high mountains on either side contribute to weird weather patterns.

Several times it looked really threatening and we stopped to watch the clouds, but then they didn't seem to produce rain so much as roll through with a lot of menacing wind before giving way to blue sky.

It actually rained a bit on us as we were on a "alternate" back road that included some gravel/dirt/mud. I stopped once to take a picture, but otherwise we just kept going. It had the potential to turn into a real disaster but settled comfortably short of that.

When we got to Darby, we just decided to stay there instead of fighting the wind another 15 or so miles to Sula. We rode almost 70 miles today.

We will be climbing Lost Trail and Chief Joseph passes tomorrow and will probably stay in Jackson. We'll also be going through the town of Wisdom, which we heard hasn't solved its mosquito problem.

Missoula - June 25

We took the day off. Dad made home fries, eggs and toast for breakfast at the hostel where we're staying.

Early this morning, I walked around town trying to find a Wall St. Journal, but never did. We visited the Adventure Cycling office -- we're following their route -- and met up with some bikers we have been meeting along the way.

After that, dad got a short haircut (see photo) and rotated the tires, front to back, on the bikes. I went to a movie theater on the edge of town and saw Prometheus. It had some interesting themes related to the purpose of life, but could have done more to explain what those aliens were actually up to. I liked the concept of the movie, though.

Tomorrow, we're back to biking. We hope to get an early start and head east on 93 toward Sula. If we make it that far we'll have more than 80 miles.

Rest Day

During the last 14 days, we've ridden a little more than 800 miles, riding across Oregon and a kind of narrow part of Idaho into Montana. We're taking a day off in Missoula on Monday and are now staying at a hostel where dad spent part of the evening sitting on the porch, eating ice cream. On Monday, we plan to visit the Adventure Cycling office and dad wants to get a haircut, among other things.

Two weeks in, I feel like I'm into the trip. It has been demanding at times, with steep mountain passes providing keen physical and mental challenges. When it gets tough, the only thing to really do is think, "Well, this is just how things are for a while." Eventually, the really hard part ends.

It has been fun to try to recreate some of the old photos, even though I feel like I'm posing where an entirely different person was 25 years ago. It doesn't so much make me remember what it was like to be 12 years old and on a big bike trip with my family as It does make me wonder about it, and about myself at that age.

This has been a main family memory for so long that it is just odd to see all the places again; not in the gauzy view of a memory, but in reality.

There have been a few times when the earlier experience really came back for me -- like starting from Newport and climbing Tombstone Pass -- but for the most part it has just been a dull, déjà vu.

Lolo Pass, Montana

We finally left the Lochsa River, which meant that we had to climb Lolo Pass, which was pretty steep and also hot. Dad said that for the first time he used a gear even lower than the Tombstone Gear to get up the pass: The Lolo Gear.

On the way up, I felt like an ant struggling along with a heavy load, pondering the question: "Why am I doing this exactly?" I didn't have a really good answer, although It felt good to get to the top. I almost stopped to rest up the 6-mile climb, but then I decided to just get it over with.

At the top, we recreated some old photos. In the last 25 years, they have improved both the visitor's center and the Montana welcome sign.

Lochsa River - June 22

Stites Grocery opened late, so we had coffee and pastries 4 miles up the road in Kooskia before beginning a day of biking upstream next to the Clearwater and Lochsa rivers. It was a gentle day of riding and we had a nice lunch in Lowell, although it did start to get hot later. Early on, we saw a hawk circle toward the river and then circle back with a small fish in its grip. Quite a feat for the hawk and probably quite a startling end for the fish.

We only went 52 miles and are camped at Wilderness Gateway Campground. We had to go to the next campground up -- Powell Campground-- to recreate my Lochsa River glamour photo.

White Bird Hill

We left the Salmon River by way of White Bird Hill, an 11-mile, switch-backy climb up the "old road."Last time, we went up the "new" road, which was a much steeper 7-mile climb with more trucks.

We only passed two cars on our way up and our greatest potential danger was from these two badgers I saw at the top. They were walking on the road and one growled from just the other side of the concrete barrier when I rode by. It didn't seem as friendly as seeing a raccoon, for example, -- more like seeing a tiny, angry bear.

We then went somewhat downhill into Grangeville and then continued down back into another river valley.

As suggested by our bicycle maps and encouraged by the store owner, we're camping free in the small park behind the Stites Grocery in the town of Stites. The store owner sold us a spaghetti supper for $1.50 and dad tool a "bath" in her bathroom. I washed off in the south fork of the Clearwater River.

Salmon River- June 20

We had an incident-free night under the water tower, although dad said he didn't sleep that well, partially because the sound of the water tower creaking could easily be mistaken for the sound of a bike thief.

Tonight, we're in Riggins, Idaho, right next to the Salmon River, which should provide much more pleasant background noise.

At the top of a big climb outside the town of Council this morning, we found the spot where we rested 25 years ago and I posed with all the cookies I ate. Mom, who kept an audio journal of the trip, asked me some questions about my lunch and my general well- being.
Here is a transcript of that interview

Mom: Chad, I haven't talked to you very much on this trip. Why don't you tell me, how are feeling right now?
Chad: (shrugs shoulders)
Mom: Now, wait. They can't hear shrugging shoulders.
Chad: I'm feeling very good.
Mom: Now, what do you have in your hand?
Chad: Cookies.
Mom: Now, how many did you have in your hand before you just ate the last few?
Chad: (laughs) Five.
Mom: You had five cookies and they're pretty big, aren't they?
Chad: (laughs) Yes.
Mom: But Keith and Korey had the same amount -- at least yours are lasting longer.
Mom: Is there anything sore on your body at this point?
Chad: Not really.
Mom: Not really? You're feeling fine after seven days of riding?
Chad: Mmhuh.
Mom: Is there anything else you'd like to tell everybody?
Chad: (laughs) Nope.
Mom: Nope? Well, OK.

Idaho

We're in Idaho! Somehow, when you've ridden across one entire state, it doesn't sound as ridiculous to say you'll be riding across the country.

We had a pretty short day of just over 40 miles. Starting out from Hell's Canyon, we rode up to the Brownlee Dam and then along the reservoir, like you can see in the one photo of dad. Before that, we crossed the Snake River to get in to Idaho. They haven't improved their welcome sign, but I'm standing closer to it than Keith was 25 years ago.

The climb out of Hell's Canyon was a steep 6 or 7 miles. It was tough, but the hills like that have a way of really focusing one since they require maximum physical effort as well as mental concentration. I mean, it is not a classicly pleasant experience, but nobly suffering through to the top feels rewarding. At least it wasn't hot.

Tonight we're staying in the town park in Cambridge, Idaho, under the water tower. It feels a little strange to just set up camp here, but this is what you do. We also camped here 25 years ago.

Baker City to past Halfway

We got an early start and had excellent riding, heading downstream beside the Powder River in what otherwise looked like a desert landscape with few trees.

The wind was mostly to our backs, giving us a nice push while we stayed mostly ahead of the storm clouds which at times gave us a little spritz. However, on a long climb before the town of Halfway, the rain and wind appeared about to overtake us. Abandoning my normal practice of waiting for dad at the tops of major climbs, I sped down the hill, hoping to quickly cover the 7 miles to Halfway. I got hit with a little rain, but it was the wind that got to be a little scary. It would suddenly give me a push from the side on the steep downhill. I made in to town and waited for dad outside what seemed like the only restaurant.

We stayed in there from noon to about 2 p.m. Before heading 17 downstream miles more. We're In Hell's Canyon and will climb out of it tomorrow morning while also crossing in to Idaho.

Baker City, Ore. - June 17

From Bates State Park, we rode over Tipton and Sumpter passes. All the climbing was done within the first 22 miles. Then we went downhill to the Powder River and followed that downstream to Baker City, giving us just more than 50 miles for the day. The weather was nice today although they're calling for rain and wind tomorrow, which has me worried.

During a Sunday lunch in town at a cafe, we discussed whether to abandon cooking for ourselves and just eat at restaurants. We're going to give it a test before ditching our cooking equipment.

The one photo is of dad riding in to Baker City. The other is of him sitting at the post office here, reading his mail. That's where we sat for 90 minutes 25 years ago reading actual, physical mail we had picked up at our first mail stop.

After looking at the photo, I realized it wasn't the exact same spot, but you get the idea.

Sore knees, Dixie Pass

Starting out from the Dayville Presbyterian Church, having spent the morning drinking coffee and using the wifi connection while icing my knees, it was tough going for me. My knees really hurt. It seemed like I couldn't put any pressure on the pedals, so I just spun up the John Day River valley in a low gear while dad went out ahead. I was trying to imagine what it would be like to pedal all day like this. It wasn't pretty.

About 9 miles in, we stopped and raised my seat about half an inch, which seemed to help. Actually, it did help as I could ride a lot faster. My knees are still sore, but it no longer seems like I am actually damaging them.

We were passed by a lot of people on motorcycles today and spent most of the day along the river. Following lunch in Prairie City, we rode up Dixie Pass, which was hard. By the time we got to the top, we had ridden up for maybe 7 miles and had gone from a landscape of small trees spread out on the hills to a forest.

The photos are of mom and dad riding up Dixie Pass: 25 years apart.

Two passes, 80 miles

Today, we rode over Ochoco and Kelly's Creek passes. The first pass was in a forest. The second was in a more barren landscape which you can see in the one photo. That's dad in the distance, climbing up the seven-mile pass using his "Tombstone Gear": a very low gear that he first used on Tombstone Pass. It lets him go slow and steady.

That climb was right after a lunch at a restaurant in the town of Mitchell, which has only changed a bit in 25 years.

Tonight, we're staying in the Dayville Presbyterian Church. We have the run of the small church. I'm sleeping on the floor behind the pulpit. We stayed here 25 years ago. Since then, they've added a shower, washer/dryer and a wifi connection for bikers to use. It's a great place to stay for the night.

Right now, I'm icing my knees -- which have been hurting-- and dad is fiddling with the bikes. We ate a huge oven-cooked pizza, salad and ice cream.