On day one we left personal bags at Matt’s house and traveled the 100 miles to the start at Astoria. On day two we started from Matt’s house and out to Mt Hood with the same partial load. On day three it was our first full load with three bikes, two riders and the driver all inside the SUV. This is where the term that dealers use like 72.4 cubic feet of volume has mean.jpg)
ing. We are using it all. We have all discussed that if we have a problem with storms and such the unpacking and repacking on the open road to get the gear inside will be hard. We are looking for a solution to this problem.
Loaded we travel to the starting point for day 4 and a quick 1500 ft climb. Opps ! Quick only applies to the SUV and me. I am really impressed with Matt and Gary. They use heart rate to accomplish a ride without damaging their bodies. I will start this when I get back to riding instead of driving.
I hope that it is clear from my writing and pictures that I am having a great time. It is a pleasure to be part of this ride. Both Gary and Matt have made me feel a part of it even though I am not a rider. I am grateful that I can have this experience. Although driving and riding cover the same ground I know that they are not the same. Matt and Gary are capturing their side and I will continue to write about driving even though I miss riding.
It is arid and warm. We continue to see ABB (America by Bike) bikers. ABB Does what we are doing on a commercial scale. About 50 riders doing 50 to 80 miles a day with 5 rest days. They stay in hotels at night and eat well. I certainly would consider this as a way to do the ride. We also saw other independent groups along the route. A husband and wife were part of a group of five riders. The interesting thing is they carried all their gear. This adds about 50 to 80 lbs to the bike. They have no other support. You know the rider is accomplished when you say “that must make hills hard” and the response is “not really you just go a little slower”. We talked and gave them information that may have helped them find an improvement in their route.
You may notice that I have found flowers and other plants to add to the picture set. The small things are very interesting. I get to pick the stopping points and select them based on distance and Kodak moments. I stop and take the picture I saw and then wait for Matt and Gary. During the wait I will often notice more than the picture I stopped for. Now when I stop I look all around to make sure I do not miss an opportunity for another picture.
We were approaching a small town and I saw a flag person ahead. The two la.jpg)
ne highway was being resurfaced and traffic was down to one lane. I waited about 20 minutes for my turn, looking behind the whole time for Matt and Gary. I was hoping they would be in time for this group. I finally decided to not go unless I saw them and gave up my turn. That was a good thing since I learned that they would not be allowed to ride over the road. They showed up and we packed the two bikes inside. We did not have room for both riders so Gary hitched a ride on a garbage truck. When we got through the construction Gary had a lot of stories from his driver. He was an old timer with an interesting past. Moon shine (liquid) was part of it. What a great country.
.jpg)
ing. We are using it all. We have all discussed that if we have a problem with storms and such the unpacking and repacking on the open road to get the gear inside will be hard. We are looking for a solution to this problem.Loaded we travel to the starting point for day 4 and a quick 1500 ft climb. Opps ! Quick only applies to the SUV and me. I am really impressed with Matt and Gary. They use heart rate to accomplish a ride without damaging their bodies. I will start this when I get back to riding instead of driving.
I hope that it is clear from my writing and pictures that I am having a great time. It is a pleasure to be part of this ride. Both Gary and Matt have made me feel a part of it even though I am not a rider. I am grateful that I can have this experience. Although driving and riding cover the same ground I know that they are not the same. Matt and Gary are capturing their side and I will continue to write about driving even though I miss riding.
It is arid and warm. We continue to see ABB (America by Bike) bikers. ABB Does what we are doing on a commercial scale. About 50 riders doing 50 to 80 miles a day with 5 rest days. They stay in hotels at night and eat well. I certainly would consider this as a way to do the ride. We also saw other independent groups along the route. A husband and wife were part of a group of five riders. The interesting thing is they carried all their gear. This adds about 50 to 80 lbs to the bike. They have no other support. You know the rider is accomplished when you say “that must make hills hard” and the response is “not really you just go a little slower”. We talked and gave them information that may have helped them find an improvement in their route.
You may notice that I have found flowers and other plants to add to the picture set. The small things are very interesting. I get to pick the stopping points and select them based on distance and Kodak moments. I stop and take the picture I saw and then wait for Matt and Gary. During the wait I will often notice more than the picture I stopped for. Now when I stop I look all around to make sure I do not miss an opportunity for another picture.
We were approaching a small town and I saw a flag person ahead. The two la
.jpg)
ne highway was being resurfaced and traffic was down to one lane. I waited about 20 minutes for my turn, looking behind the whole time for Matt and Gary. I was hoping they would be in time for this group. I finally decided to not go unless I saw them and gave up my turn. That was a good thing since I learned that they would not be allowed to ride over the road. They showed up and we packed the two bikes inside. We did not have room for both riders so Gary hitched a ride on a garbage truck. When we got through the construction Gary had a lot of stories from his driver. He was an old timer with an interesting past. Moon shine (liquid) was part of it. What a great country.