Arrival in Oregon!

There were some who doubted that Vance and I would be able to drive 2450 miles in three days, but we arrived in Portland at 6:30 pm on the third day.  The final hundred miles was stunning because we drove along the Columbia river and the Columbia River Gorge.  Pictures to come soon.  It is interesting to note that both Oregon and Washington have invested in thousands of Wind turbines to generate pollution-free energy and that (can you believe it) they have light rail, public transportation and even bicycle right of ways.  How novel!  That is, how novel to someone who lives in Louisiana.  It is sad how primitive Louisiana is with respect to the rest of the country.  (Thanks Bobby Jindal for keeping Louisiana back).  Enough about that.  The weather here is a delight.  Brother-in-law Tim keeps his doors and windows open and biting insects are non existent.  Tomorrow I head to Seattle and will post some pictures.  A great trip so far. 

On The Road Again

I am traveling to Seattle to begin a bicycle trip.  My "Cousin-in-law" Vance, is traveling with me as we drive to Portland.  We covered 935 miles the first day and about eight hundred miles today.  Presently, we are in Salt Lake City, Utah for the night and will be in Portland tomorrow to visit brother-in-law Tim before going to Seattle.  The scenery has been beautiful because I chose mostly back roads with very little traffic and lots of beautiful mountains.  I'll get the pictures on in the next day or two.  Check back for pics and perhaps a better description of the events too. 

Summer Bike Trip 2011

Well, summer means another bike trip.  I just had my knee scoped so I will be riding a mere three weeks after the operation.   This year, it is not as hilly.  I will travel around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.  The trip to Seattle will be an adventure in itself.  Vance (le dance) will ride with me on the way up, but will not venture out on a bicycle.  I'll leave the car at my daughter, Jessica's, house and only be on the road for about six days.  Got to cut it short this year to make it to Hawaii and meet my beautiful bride for a week on the Big Island.  We will both return to Seattle to visit with Jessica, Andy and my beautiful granddaughter, Aloe.  Then, because Janet will not travel 2600 miles with me in a car, I will drive home via Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park and then as fast as possible back to Louisiana. It should be a fun month.  Check back for more postings as we make this summer 2011 trip. 

Summer 2010 Bicycle Trip

I'm looking forward to a bike trip on the Olympic Peninsula beginning in July followed by a trip to Hawaii's Big Island to see the volcano.  I plan to blog using my iPad.  stay tuned....

Continuing on Skyline Drive

Our second day of biking was really a test. It rained continuously as we traveled a total of 29 miles. The fog was so thick that we could only see about a hundred feet and that made descents very difficult as we had to guess which way the road would turn next. This made cycling difficult and setting up camp a real challenge. As you can (barely) see, the fog was thick even in out campsite. Since we did not feel like cooking in the rain, we got under the eves of a restroom and cooked our dinner. I had a great meal of tubular steak (hot dogs) and chili. Because of the rain and the fact that we were really tired, I headed for my sleeping bag by about 8:30 p.m. It rained most of the night and was still drizzling as we got up the next morning to ride. Still, this has been a great trip!

Cycling the Skyline Drive

This entry is, in reality, after the fact. One thing I did not expect is that ANY services, including libraries, are far off the parkway and a steep descent at that. If you go down to get to the library, you have to climb back up to get to the parkway. Consequently, I didn't get to the library to post. Andy and I started the trip at Front Royal, Virginia on Monday, May 25th. What we didn't realize was that it would begin with a 22 mile climb. Oh, I guess there was about a mile that was either flat or slightly down, but almost all of it was climbing. We covered 51 miles but it took us 7 and a half hours! It began to rain about an hour and a half from the campsite. We set up our tents in the rain and headed for the showers. The best 2 dollar, ten minute shower I've ever had. We ate at a lodge at the campground and retired for the night. It rained almost all night and all the next day.

A Note from Jessica

*Jessica's Take*

Well...the guys clearly haven't had much in the way of internet access (or phone access for that matter!) so I've taken it upon myself to post a google map that I made of their trip thus far.

They didn't see the sun or even have a dry sleeping bag until 2 days ago, so indeed as Joey said, it's the rainy season. Still, there were all sorts of local pleasures in which to partake--buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup, cherry trees full of fruit, families of bears and turkeys framing the scenery, and, most importantly, biker bars with nice cold beers!