Oregon Trail - Post Tour Stats and Comment

Garmin Statistics

Total Milage: 849 miles (BJ & Tom)
280 miles (Bill)* 360 miles (Joe)*

Calculated Calories Burned: 54,000 (Tom)

Total Time on Bike: 65 Hours (Tom & BJ)

Maximum Speed: 47 MPH (Tom)

Average Speed: 12.5 / 14.5 MPH (Tom)

Total Feet Climbed: 36,000 (Tom & BJ)

*Note: Bill and Joe left as planned after the first week of riding. Bill missed about 40 miles of day 3 and all of day 4 due to equipment failure (a broken shoe.)

BJ, Gay and I rolled into Missoula Montana after 11 Cycling days, and 2 rest days. We ended the tour at Adventure Cycling's world Hq. An organization we have used for years to guide us on numerous tours.

Our tour took us all the way across Oregon from the coast to the Snake River and thru Idaho into western Montana. Gay and I also drove through parts of Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Wyoming, traveling to and then returning from the tour.

Our daily mileage average was challenging creating at times a fair amount of fatigue and mental stress for all the riders. Even with the challenges, it was marvelous even with the 50 plus fires burning across the region. Due to the hurricanes, few people know about these fires. But they are real and burn as this is written.

I stopped to meet and talk to a number of true bicycle tourists. The photo below is Greg, who began his tour fully loaded in New York on April 1. He rode down to Virginia and then across the heart of the US to Montana where I met him near LOLO Pass headed the direction we just came from, to the coast of Oregon. Greg will have over 4000 miles when he completes the tour in a couple of weeks. Other photos of people I talked to are in the linked photo album.

There are just too many stories to tell in a blog like this. But there were a few highlight stories that I just have to tell.

The Water Story - Joe and BJ ran out of water at least 2 times on the tour. Each initially carrying 2-3 bottles and drinking them at a rate they did not anticipate before support arrived. On one of those days, Joe began stopping people asking if they could spare water which led to a meeting with a highway worker named Leroy who told us about multiple Eclipse festivals in Oregon.

One of those festivals had over 70,000 people who paid $400 each to camp in the wilderness and experience a Woodstock like experience. He was vivid in his description of the topless women swimming the the stock ponds during the event. He said they had over 700 security people. Bet you didn't hear about that in the news.

Later, Joe miraculously began to appear each morning with a camel back on after that day. BJ simply stuffed additional water bottles in his jersey pockets.

Another story occurred in Baker City where I met a guy named Gandalf riding a recumbent trike. He said he was riding across the US and handed me a card. Behind him was a trailer with what looked like a covered wagon. He said that is where his dog sits. We checked out his card and found out he lived in Baker City and had not left yet on this grand tour. But he indicated that his reason for the tour was to start what is called "The Joy Pandemic North America Bicycle Tour", creating a new and greater state of being. (Yea Right) His pic follows. Hes on Facebook if you want to know more.

In brief summary, we all had a great time. We were challenged and we persevered. We saw parts of Oregon and Idaho we would never have seen. And found places we want to go back to.

Leg 1 of the ride across the US is now complete.

Photos and videos can be found here. 

Riggins to Kooskia - Smoke, Smoke & more Smoke

We began our ride today early around 6:30am, well before we could see the sun and with a temperature of 62f. To be honest I'm not sure we would have actually viewed the sun until maybe 10:00am because of the terrain around us. Riggins is literally surrounded by mountains and sits in a deep bowl with two rivers merging just below our hotel. A photo is shown below.

The beginning of our ride today gave us 30 miles of descent into White Bird Idaho. Then a 7 mile climb and another descent into Kooskia. The further we moved into the heartland of Idaho the more smoke we saw and had to breathe. Following is a photo of the smoke we climbed into during that first 30 miles.

We met Gay in Grangeville to refuel, and also to find that the truck had a slow leak on the front left tire. As this is written it is still leaking slowly. Given that today is Labor Day we could not find a place to have it repaired. So we are in hopes that tomorrow morning the tire will still be holding enough air to pump up with our bicycle pump and then drive to a repair station up the road. Or, use the spare tire for the first time.

As we approached Kooskia we found ourselves in wheat farm land. As BJ would say, it is a lava bedrock with soil that originated from rich composition. It literally looked like Kansas. That is, until we dropped off into a canyon descending a mile at 12% grade that had our rims too hot to touch. It was a stressful mile. BJ hit a 9.5 on the pucker meter. I rounded a corner watching BJ behind me overcook the turn and narrowly missing a 200 foot vertical fall over the edge. Later BJ was viewed on the side of the road wiping his shorts clean while turning his rear tire to cool it off.

Then we arrived in Kooskia to find that Gay had found the hotel that BJ had had reserved and was frantically waving to us to warn us not to go there as it was not a kind looking place. Miraculously Gay had already found a beautiful wood log cabin and already had it rented. BJ cancelled the other reservations. All turned out well.

Two days to go.

So So Beautiful

We now have over 633 miles under our belt since departing the Oregon coast. While I've included a few photos in this post, you can view others if you wish by clicking here. 

Cycling Area	Distance	Calories	Time
Cambridge Cycling	81.34	5,337	5:48:55
Baker City Cycling	109.88	7,758	8:45:20
John Day Cycling	80.95	5,640	6:21:02
Mitchell Cycling	69.15	4,998	4:54:58
Prineville Cycling	46.84	3,066	3:38:21
Prineville Cycling	0	--	00:01.8
Cycling	0	--	00:00.4
Blue River Cycling	100.02	6,773	8:33:17
Eugene Cycling	62.06	4,040	4:18:10
Florence Cycling	82.15	1,877	5:59:24
Florence Cycling	1.17	28	05:19.8
	633.56

We continue to be astounded by the scenery. Every time we think we are going to see nothing but desert terrain, it turns into lush green or at least relatively green and wooded views. Hells Canyon is an example. When we departed John Day, crossing over the original Oregon Trail, it looked like southern Wyoming. Hot, dry and filled with sage. But soon that turned into irrigated farm land and water all around us. This has not been a desert tour, thank goodness.
The last post left off with us arriving in John Day Oregon for our first day off. Today we are enjoying our second much needed day off now in Riggins Idaho. And rest we did. After 12 hours of sleep we boarded a river raft for a half day trek down the Salmon River. Here is a photo of our motley crew.

Gotta Go Joe and The Ghost Bill departed our group as planned day before yesterday in Baker City Oregon. They both proved me wrong with my prediction that their flat land gears would eat their lunch. The Ghost proved it daily by arriving first in every destination except for the day he was searching for new shoes to replace his ultralight carbon racing shoes. Ok guys, I don't do this very often but I was wrong. You did fine with your gears.

So far we have completed two century days, each after 30 plus mile climbs at 7% on average. Climbs that test your soul. Especially with the heat we are now seeing in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho.

Today we have 107f and day before yesterday same on a very long climb after crossing over the Snake River at the Oxbow Reservoir into Idaho. Near the top of that climb, I had to pull over and pour water on my head to stop the movement of the ground below my bike. Heat makes your brain see and feel things you know are false. And when that begins to happen it's time to pull over. Cool water on the head does wonders and quickly.

BJ is climbing these passes at about 7 mph while I'm sitting at about 4 mph on the recumbent. BJ descends at about 28mph while I descend at about 40mph. Almost a wash in average speeds except for those days where the climb is greater than the descent.

We are meeting a great number of interesting people on this tour. Virtually all are kind and inquisitive. One example is the gentleman below I met in Baker City. His name is Gandalf. On a bicycle crusade to rebirth humanity one smile at a time. He carries an 80 lb dog on his crusade across the country. (Facebook: Joy Pandemic North American Bicycle Tour)

While our Gulf Coast is suffering from the greatest catastrophe in our lives and possibly in history, the Pacific NW is suffering from some of the most devastating fires seen in recent times. Smoke has become a common expectation every day since early in the tour. And we have more smoke and fire to navigate in the last 3 days ahead. I wake up every morning with a continuous cough.


There are just so many stories. But I would bore you with them if I put them all in this post. So they will have to wait. But one example of a story can be viewed in the final photo of this post. An Axe throwing contest in New Meadow Idaho.

Till next time, all the best to you all.