Me and Lisa:

Cassandra: (Sat June 30) Lisa and I finished our bike/road trip yesterday with a beautiful 45 mile bike ride through Yakima Canyon in Ellensburg. It was one of, if not my very favorite, ride of the whole trip. The route was recommended to us by Karen, one of our hosts from the previous night, and it did not disappoint.

We started our ride at the parking lot of the Flying J truck stop on Canyon Road in Ellensburg. From there we biked south on Canyon Road towards Selah. Although the road was longer than we had time for, we did cover 20 miles of it each way. Or rather, I did. Lisa was a couple of miles behind me so I doubled back to meet her and save her some mileage.

I can't speak highly enough of the scenery on Canyon Road. After we passed the outskirts of Ellensburg and some farm land, we swooped down into the Yakima Canyon with a smooth downhill. From there, the road pretty much flattened out, although there were several rolling hills and a couple of good, steep climbs. The highway wound along like a snake, following the Yakima River. We could see people rafting and floating down the river and it looked so peaceful. We had gotten an early start to our ride; it was right about 10:00 am when we left the car, so it wasn't too hot yet. At first, I stopped about every 5 miles to reconnect with Lisa; she was behind me, again on the mountain bike. No more road bike for her. I could tell she was tired, so I went along at my own pace and would wait for her at regular intervals, encouraging her to drink water. It was really starting to heat up.

The road was so pretty I took a ton of pictures while riding. I admired the cliff-like canyon walls and the sparrows that were flying in and out of their little mud homes (at least, I think they were sparrows). I even stopped at a placard to read about the geology of the area. But mostly, I just got caught up in the sun and the river and the smooth, fun road and got lost in my own thoughts. It was perfect.

At 20.11 miles, I stopped and decided I should turn back and meet Lisa, that way she wouldn't have to go quite as far. I passed a rest area about 2 miles back towards Ellensburg and was careful to scan for her mountain bike outside of the bathrooms. I didn't see anything, so I continued on. A couple of more miles down the road, I still didn't see her. I flagged down a car of elderly people to ask if they had passed a cyclist in a white shirt. They said they hadn't passed any cyclist, but if they saw her they would let her know I was looking for her. I started to get concerned. I couldn't understand why this car full of people hadn't seen her. I started to worry about her being hurt. I flagged down another car, but the guy inside said he hadn't seen her, either. At that point, I was really worried. I didn't know what to do if I couldn't find her. My cell phone didn't have any service, so I couldn't call her. I was starting to kick myself for breaking our routine and turning back to meet her, instead of staying in one spot. I continued down the road towards Ellensburg, looking for Lisa. I heard a car behind me, and when I turned around I saw the car of elderly people. They said they had passed her coming out of the rest area, and that they told her I was headed back to Ellensburg looking for her. I was so, so grateful to know where Lisa was. I thanked the people profusely and headed back towards the rest area.

I met Lisa part way there. She said she had decided to go into the rest area because they had civilized bathrooms (I had been peeing on the side of the road). I told her I had looked for her bike, and she sheepishly said she had taken her bike in the bathroom with her. I let out a great big sigh, just happy that we had found each other. I don't know what we would have done without the elderly people. Lisa would have been biking towards Selah and I would have been biking in the opposite direction, both of us without cell phone service. It would have been great to have walkie-talkies!

We decided to eat lunch at the rest area Lisa had previously stopped at, partly because we thought it was our best shot at getting water to refill our waterbottles. It was getting really hot out and both of us were sweating. I had already gone through almost all of my 2 bottles of water. I biked up to a some campers and asked where the water spigot was, and they said there wasn't one. Apparently, you have to pack your own water into the canyon area. None of the recreational areas have water. I was starting to have visions of dehydration when the man offered to let us fill our waterbottles from his own water supply that he had brought. Yet again, we were saved by the kindness of strangers.

Our ride back was easier than we thought it would be. On the way into the canyon it had looked like the way back would be significantly more up-hill, but it didn't turn out to be that way. We were also helped on the way back by a tail-wind. I rendezvoused with Lisa once, about 5 miles in, but after that I cruised at my own pace, once again lost in my thoughts, and figured we could meet back at the car. That was easy enough; we both knew where it was and I certainly wasn't going to turn back and look for her and get us separated again.

The canyon ended before I expected it to; for some reason, the way back seemed a lot shorter than the way there. Almost before I knew it, I climbed the hill and disappeared around a cliff, where I found farm land and Ellensburg once again. This is definitely a ride I would repeat again, and one I hope to introduce mom to. The next time, though, I will be smarter about water and I will (hopefully) bike all the way to the end of the canyon.

Our ride in numbers:
Total miles: 43.32 miles
Average speed: 14.9 mph
Max speed: 29.5 mph
Total pedaling time: 2:54:11

Once Lisa and I met back at the car, we loaded everything up and drove north-west to Lake Easton. We had hoped to camp and bike there, but the weather forecast was calling for rain and the nice bike trail that I remembered turned out to be gravel. So, we walked around the state park and talked a bunch and then made the call to turn back towards home. No sense camping in the rain when we were so close to Seattle.

Closing Thoughts: It is kind of depressing to be back in Seattle now, with the rain and people who don't wave at you (or smile for that matter). Lisa and I had such a great time in Eastern Washington. I got to know my bike so much better and discovered that I love bike travel. It is a really great way to see the countryside and get to know its people. You are forced to slow down, to really absorb the landscape. You notice every hill, every vineyard. Through biking Lisa and I met some amazing people, from the Allegro bike shop folks to the people who hosted us overnight. We joke that we could truly dedicate our trip to the kindness of strangers. It seemed every time we needed something, the travel fairy blessed up with people who could help us along. It was a humbling experience.

I would encourage anyone and everyone to see Washington (and Idaho and Oregon) by bike as we did. It is extremely affordable. All said, the trip cost less than $300 total per person, and that included lodging, food, gas, and even a pair of semi-expensive bike gloves. If I hadn't bought the gloves and so much wine in Walla Walla, I could have done the trip for about $240. And that was for 10 days of fun.

The trick with vacation is getting as much of it as you can in your daily life. I can't wait for my next free weekend, to find some sun and bike somewhere cool. And the STP is in only two weeks; I suppose it will be a very intense version of what I just did for the last 10 days. I can't wait!

Cassandra: (Thurs June 28) Today Lisa and I planned to ride, but it was obvious when we woke up that a rest day was in order. Lisa was having trouble climbing stairs because of sore muscles, and we wanted to save some strength for a good Friday ride in Ellensburg. So we ambled around Walla Walla with a couple more cross-training walks :-) After touring the aviary at Pioneer Park, we followed a brochure we had gotten at Tourist Information and toured many of the historic homes in the area. I really liked that. After a picnic lunch in the sun we hit the road for Ellensburg. Our drive was sunny for the most part and we did take a very fun detour at a u-pick berry place in Grandview. After stuffing our faces with cherries and blueberries (and buying a bunch) we continued on our drive. Tonight we are staying with Pedro and Karen, a couple we found through Couchsurfing. Karen was able to recommend a good road ride for tomorrow through the canyon areas, which we are excited about. We just need to get to bed soon and get a good night's sleep, and we should be ready for a great ride tomorrow. It's crazy to think that our trip is almost over. I really am trying not to think about it. We will be camping tomorrow in Lake Easton (hopefully with good weather) and riding there on Saturday. And then sometime that afternoon/evening we will head home. I can't wait to find more fun bike rides in Seattle again after this. My enjoyment of biking has been greatly revived. It's a good thing, too, since the STP is only three weeks away.

Cassandra: (Wed June 27) Lisa and I crashed hard last night after our fast-paced bike ride with the Allegro people. Even still, I had a difficult time staying asleep in the early morning hours for some reason. My sleeping bag was bugging me and the light coming in the window shone in my eyes. But the light was a good thing, because that meant sun. We set the alarms a little later this morning: 8:30 am. After a quick breakfast and packing our stuff up, we loaded everything in the car and unloaded the bikes.

Our first stop this morning was the Allegro bike shop, to get our tires pumped up and ask directions to our mid-point for last night’s ride. Lisa had lost her sunglasses and wanted to go back and get them. She also wanted to try a road bike for today’s ride, so after giving them her mountain bike for storage, she rented one of their Giant bikes.

It took some work for her to feel good on the bike. The shifting and the power cages were very different from what she was used to. We took it slow through town as she got used to the new bike and then speeded up as we headed toward the Walla Walla Mission Historical Site. The Mission was about 7 miles from town, along a route that could have been easy had the map not tried to simplify things so much. We ended up winging it when it came to several turns but miraculously made it to the front entrance without too much of a hiccup.

We locked our bikes and headed off on the trails around the Mission by foot, exploring the Great Grave and the markings of where the old Mission used to be. We even walked a little portion of the Oregon Trail, which was quite exciting. The whole area was very neat. The Mission was set up at the very beginning of the time period when people were traveling west on the Oregon Trail. It originally served to educate the Cayuse Indians and teach them religion. When people started moving west on the Oregon Trail, the Mission also served as a resting point and somewhere that people could resupply their food and medicine. The Whitman family ran the place until they were massacred by the Cayuse Indians. You see, Mr. Whitman was a doctor and the Cayuse Indians had a tradition of killing medicine men who couldn’t heal their patients. When a measles outbreak killed three Indian children, Dr. Whitman attended the funeral, not knowing the Indians were planning on killing him. They found him later in his home and attacked him and his wife, killing both of them, two of their adopted children, and 9 other people. What sadness. The area we walked around was so beautiful; without reading the placards and hearing the story we would never have imagined such tragedy taking place there.

After we walked around and ate lunch in the grass, we headed south to find Lisa’s sunglasses at a convenience store in Umapine. To get there, we retraced part of our route from last night. Now, we had been warned at the bike shop about two big things to watch out for in Walla Walla. One was biting bees that hung out near the alfalfa. We were told to keep our jerseys zipped up as high as they could go as a precaution. The other thing we were warned about was something called a Goat Head, a hard little thorn that was notorious for popping bike tires, especially on local bike paths, which aren’t adequately maintained. So we were on our guard. I kept a close watch on the road ahead of me, looking for Goat Heads. But I was not keeping a watch out for dogs. In fact, I had left my taser and my air horn in the car because we hadn’t seen any dogs the entire trip. Today, unfortunately, I wasn’t on guard against dogs, and one actually came after us on the way to Umapine.

We were riding along when the medium sized dog approached, barking loudly. It was fast, and clung close to Lisa’s leg. We had been riding two-abreast with Lisa closer to the center of the road and the dog came from across the way, near her. I think we both kind of panicked. We were screaming, “Go Home!!” as loudly as we could, but the dog was not deterred. It kept up with us and was so close I thought it was going to bite Lisa. I yelled to Lisa, “Go Faster!” but it didn’t make much of a difference. The dog wasn’t fazed. Finally, though, it got its fill of terrorizing us and turned back. My heart was pounding nearly out of my chest.

We weren’t far from the convenience store at Umapine at that point, but we couldn’t find Lisa’s sunglasses.; they weren’t on the ground and no one had turned them in. So we headed east for a jaunt and another dog came after us. I screamed at it and then at the people in the front yard who didn’t even call their dog when it started barking and running after us. I was so mad. I yelled, “Call your dog!” as loudly and angrily as I could. It was the best I could do, since I didn’t have any pepper spray for the dog or the owners.

Luckily, no other dogs came after us. We headed further south along fields of alfalfa, finally pedaling past vineyards and orchards on our way down towards Milton-Freewater. We followed a creek for a while, going up and down with the gently (and not so gently) rolling hills. Lisa started to slow down, tired from last night’s wall. After dipping down below Milton-Freewater we finally came north and rode through it, stopping to pick up some fresh apricots and cherries from a local farmer.

The ride back from Milton-Freewater was hard for both of us. I kept eating and drinking (we were very well hydrated today and spent a lot of time peeing on the side of the road) but my legs were still tired. Lisa simply hit a wall. She said she was dying, and that no amount of food or water was going to revive her body. It was just done. Unfortunately, we still had about 7 miles to go at that point, so we had to continue. We got a little lost coming back into Walla Walla (maps can be so confusing), but found the bike shop without much trouble. All in all, we had ridden almost 46 miles today.

Hot from the sun (yay!) and tired from pedaling, we did the best thing we could think of to unwind from our ride and that was to listen to live music and drink chocolate-infused wine at a local bar. Tonight we are staying with another girl we met at the bike ride last night. People have been so crazy nice to us, it is amazing. Kindness is most definitely still alive in America.

Tomorrow our plan is to ride easy, maybe stop at some wineries. We also would like to do a walking tour of the local historic homes. How’s that for cross-training? :-) And then tomorrow night we head to Ellensburg.

Our ride today in numbers:
Total miles: 45.65 miles
Average speed: 12.6 mph
Max speed: 27.2 mph
Total riding time: 3:36:44

Carol - Wednesday.   Al and Karen were over last night and we hadn't seen them for about two weeks.  Of course this called for some wine to be consumed.  While catching up  we decided a golf game would be in order for Wednesday.  The weather was forecast to be nice so we decided to call for a tee time about 1 pm.  This meant that I would have to get my ride in early.  I woke up about eight oclock and ate a couple of pieces of toast and some chocolate milk while I got my bike ready.  I was able to get out of the house about nine and headed down to Marine Drive.  I love this stretch of road because it has such a pretty view of the bay.  Traffic was light and I had good speed heading out even with a fair head wind.  I ended up riding through part of the reservation, out past the casino and on to Hovander Park in Ferndale.  My favorite part of the ride was riding through the farm land and raspberry fields.  It was such a pretty time of day and not too warm yet.  Very little traffic if any on the rural roads.  I even found a different road to bypass Marrietta.  Today's ride was so nice...it really reminded me why I enjoy riding so much.

Miles 30
Average speed 14.5
I felt great even after drinking last night.  By the way, I got home from my ride and had a half hour to get cleaned up and ready for golf.  Yes I made it and was looking good.

Carol - This past weekend I rode on my trainer Saturday since the weather was so poor.  Saturday's ride was 25 miles in the morning.  I had intended to ride another 25 in the evening but, alas, it didn't happen.  All I can say is "it's boring riding in the house for that amount of time".  When I'm on the road at least distractions and pretty scenery make the time and miles go by faster.
Sunday, I again was going to go for a long ride.  The weather was marginal all day and I was afraid another big storm like Saturday's would blow through so I didn't get on my bike until about eight pm.  We had just finished dinner and I decided I needed to ride and I needed to ride now.  I didn't even think about the hour I usually wait after a big meal.  I just knew I wanted to ride now, in the sun, and on the road.  So I took off.  I decided since I wouldn't be getting the miles I wanted because of the late start I would do hill work.  So I rode up Lakeway and decided to try Cable Street which is very steep.  I made it to the top but could tell my dinner was sitting very heavy in my stomach.  I changed my plans a bit because of the stomach issue and so I could look at the pretty houses and yards by the lake.  I rode down all the side roads to the lake shore and than rode back up to the main road which was also a hill.  I did this the whole way back.
My biggest issue with some of my rides is my impatience.  Had I waited tonight I would have felt a lot better on my ride and my performance would be much better.  I hope someday I learn to slow down a bit and prepare properly.

Miles  10
Average speed 12.5  (all hills though)
Stomach was upset when I got home because I didn't wait long enough after eating to ride.

Carol - (Wednesday June 20) - I woke up to sunshine today and decided to call my good friend and fellow biker, Penney, to ride with me, however, I had appointments earlier in the morning so I didn't actually call Penney until about 2:00.  I was able to talk her into putting down her current project and go for a ride in the sunshine with me.  I was still a little bit tentative about riding in traffic since I had my incident a couple of weeks earlier so I really appreciated her coming with me not only for companionship but also for support.  We met up at my office in downtown Bellingham and took off from there.  It was really warm (or should I say warmer than normal) about 75 degrees.  Now, I have to admit I didn't give Penney much time to prepare.  She barely had time to eat an apple and get her riding clothes on plus she hadn't been on a ride for a month and the one thing that was missed was pumping up her tires.  We were out about ten miles when it became apparent that my good friend was having some issues.  We stopped for a minute so she could take off her sweatshirt and I gave her some of my raisens and some nuun for her water bottle.  This seemed to help for a while.  Our route took us into Ferndale via a way I had never been before.  The roads in Ferndale were extremely congested so we were careful to stay together and watch for traffic.  We were lucky that a bus stopped to let us cross by Pioneer Park were we turned and headed back to Bellingham.  It was nice to be away from traffic and back on rural roads for a while and we were actually able to visit for a time.  We finally made it back to  Marine Drive and I had ridden ahead a ways when I pulled over and noticed I couldn't see Penney.  I waited for a reasonable amount of time and decided to ride back to see if she was okay.  It was obvious when I got there that she was done.  We rode a little bit further before she called her husband and had him come pick her up.  I felt really bad that she didn't enjoy the ride that much and especially that I didn't give her time to prepare adequately before we left.  It turns out that when her time pressure was checked she was basically riding on flat tires.  I still can't believe that she rode as far as she did under the challenging conditions.  All I can say is "Penney you are a true friend". 

Total Miles  28
Weather  75
Average speed.....Doesn't really matter as we had a good time under the circumstances.

Cassandra: (Tues June 26) Today took a couple of very unexpected turns. This morning after leaving the coffee shop in Pullman, Lisa and I drove to Walla Walla in the pouring down rain. It would've been a nice drive had it not been so gross and wet out, and had I not been so concerned about hydroplaning. But we finally made it into Walla Walla and parked the car at Tourist Information where we got some physical maps of the bike routes in the area. We also found out where the local bike shop was so that we could get some advice on the best rides to do. And that's where things got interesting.

We hadn't really been planning to ride today, because it was so rainy earlier and we needed to familiarize ourselves with the area. But the man who helped us at the Allegro Bike Shop told us they had a ride leaving tonight at 6:15 pm and we were welcome to join. I was definitely in but it took some convincing for Lisa to feel good about it. She didn't want to be the slow one holding everyone up.

We showed up at the bike shop at 6 pm, fully dressed and ready to go. I noticed that more and more men were arriving, and I was starting to think we were going to be the only females. But then, finally, three or four other women showed up. We started chit-chatting with the first of the ladies to show up, a music student originally from Bainbridge Island. We told her about our around-Washington bike/road trip and how we had been Couchsurfing the past few days. It came out that our Couchsurfing host for tonight had fallen through at the last minute, and she offered to let us stay at her house. We were super excited, because we had been planning on sleeping in the car in a parking lot somewhere. I am morally opposed to paying $30 to pitch a tent in an RV campground, like we would have had to do here. What happened to the days when camping was actually cheap?

It wasn't long before we set off on the ride. We wound through the city streets of Walla Walla, headed towards the west. Our pace was decent going through town but really picked up when we hit the old highways and country roads. Lisa did really well for the first ten minutes or so, and then she started to drop behind a bit. I was trying to push myself to stay towards the front, even though we were traveling at 20-23 mph.

Tonight was my first experience with riding in a tight group, and it definitely took some getting used to. We were all bunched up like a school of fish, trying to draft off each other. We rode by two's, with everyone rotating into the lead position to take the wind for a while. It was scary to be riding so close to other people. I couldn't enjoy the pretty scenery or anything because I was so worried I would hit the person in front on me and go down. If one of us was going down, we all were going down. We were riding with less than a foot between each biker. I did notice a difference in effort when I rode that close to the person in front of me; it definitely seemed easier, but I was constantly worried.

I dropped back a bit to watch for Lisa and ended up riding with an older gentleman named Randy who regaled me with stories of all of the adventurous things he has done like running ultra-marathons, biking up mountain passes for fun (for fun?!), and solo-climbing Mt. Rainier. This guy was an inspiration. By this point, our group had broken up into three smaller groups. The really fast people were up in front, Randy and I were in the middle, and Lisa was taking up the rear with the bike shop guy who helped us with routes earlier in the day.

We only stopped once for water, and that was a very brief stop. By then, I was really, really ready for a break. We were biking a lot faster than I was used to biking, and I kept pushing myself because I didn't want to be that girl who fell behind. I have almost an irrational fear of getting left behind and lost. I chugged almost my entire big waterbottle with Nuun (the electrolyte tab) and shoved a bunch of raisins down my throat.

The way back was both fun and kind of brutal. I had fun talking with Randy but was in some pain, finally, from pushing myself. I got a big cramp in my right butt cheek and when I would stop at stoplights my toes were cramping up and curling. It was not a pleasant feeling.

Finally, we made it back to the bike shop. Overall, our ride was about 28 miles, done in just about 2 hours. I am hoping I am going to feel okay tomorrow, not too sore. Lisa and I are planning on riding through the local vineyards and doing wine-tastings, depending on how she feels. I almost want to retrace the route we took tonight so I can actually see the fields and vineyards we passed, instead of catching a glimpse of them out of the corner of my eye while trying to force oxygen into my lungs.

Here's our ride in numbers:
Total mileage: 28.08 miles
Average speed: 16.6 mph (and this was with some good hills in there)
Max speed: 24.6 miles
Ride time: 1:43:46

Cassandra: (Tues June 26) The weather today is horrendous, windy and very, very wet. When we went to bed last night, around 1 am, it was totally clear out, so we didn't think to cover our bikes. They are now drowning in water. Rain is one thing that can totally stop a bike road trip in its tracks. I called mom for the forecast in Walla Walla, because we were supposed to head that way this morning, but the forecast there is the same that it is here: thunderstorms, rain, and wind. After I got off the phone, Lisa decided she wanted to go back to sleep and I headed to a coffee shop to work on my chemistry homework. By tonight it is supposed to be clear ... hopefully we can get back on track and back on our bikes then!!

Cassandra: (Mon June 25) Last night we slept in Pullman. We were staying with another girl we found on Couchsurfing.com, this one a phD student in sociology. She was really nice and welcoming and had a cat that ran all over the place in the middle of the night. It was going crazy! As a result of that and taking pretty late, we didn’t get a full eight hours of sleep. The alarm was set for 8 am this morning and we actually got our earliest start yet, even with our detour to a local coffee shop so I could get on the Internet to check in to my online chemistry class.

It was shortly after 10 am when we got on our bikes for the ride out to Moscow. But first we had to follow part of the Loop Trail through Pullman. It was confusing in spots and sometimes hard to follow, but about a mile and a half later we did find out way onto the Bill Chipman Trail to Moscow. The weather was pretty cloudy, although it was looking better out towards Troy, our final destination. I wore my arm warmers for the first time with my sleeveless shirt, and I felt pretty great.

The ride out to Moscow was beautiful; it was 8 miles of pretty flat, paved trail, following the highway in spots but also sporting a knockout view of the local fields and hills. I mastered the art of taking pictures while still riding my bike, because I wanted to capture and remember everything. The Palouse is probably my favorite part of Washington.

After getting in to Moscow we continued on the Paradise Trail, which weaved for about a mile and a half through the University of Idaho campus and the local roads before seamlessly turning into the Latah Trail. We couldn’t for the life of us figure out how Latah should be pronounced, so we nicknamed it the Ta-ta trail. This was probably our favorite trail of the day because it turned from Palouse to pines and was stunning. At one point Lisa remarked to me that it was strange that we hadn’t seen any snakes in Eastern Washington. Less than a mile later I swerved and screamed when I almost ran over a snake. It was small and probably harmless, but it sure did scare me. I stopped to take its picture, remembering what my mom had said to me on the phone the other day. “If you see a snake in the road, don’t stop to examine it.” I remember thinking at the time, “Duh. Why would I do something dumb like that?” But I found myself trying to get closer to the snake to get a better picture. We rode on and saw a second snake shortly.

Our ride took us out to Troy, where we biked around the small town and then ate lunch in the local park. By this time the clouds were pretty much gone, the sun was warm, and it was a perfect Eastern-Washington kind of day. After eating a sandwich, a granola bar, and some fruit gel I was ready to hit the trail again.

The way back seemed to go really quickly. Before we realized it, we were back in Moscow. Instead of just continuing on to Pullman, though, we had a plan to stop at Walmart and the Goodwill. It felt funny shopping in our biking gear, but it was a fun detour. Suddenly I had an intense craving for a cheeseburger, and not just any cheeseburger. I wanted a cheap one. So we looked around for a McDonalds but the only one we could find was closed for construction.

We headed back to Pullman with the McDonalds plan still fresh in our minds. Lisa is a vegetarian and generally doesn’t eat places like McDonalds, but she was willing to go along with the plan and indulge me. We got back to Pullman without finding another McDonalds and set off on a north-bound highway in search of more fast food chains. The only thing we could find was a Jack-in-the-Box, so that had to suffice. I generally don’t like to eat fast food, but let me tell you, that burger and the chicken nuggets I ordered were super tasty. I think my body was just craving protein.

We have finished biking for the day and are now getting cleaned up and ready for a walk-about around the WSU campus. Tomorrow we head to Walla-Walla for some biking around the vineyards.

A note about today’s ride: my legs felt a little bit sore today, but the main issue was actually my crotch. I finally had to pull the bike shorts down some because I felt like I was suffocating from the lack of breathability. Lisa’s butt was helped by the day-break we took yesterday, but she was still sore.

Our ride today:
Time: approx 4 hours
Distance: 51.5 miles
Average speed: 12.8 mph
Max speed: 25.9 mph

Cassandra: (Sun June 24) Lisa and I are only about half-way through with our bike/road trip, but already several things have become clear with our bikes. First, we have to watch them everywhere, or at least attach as many locks as we have and then pray for the best. The worry of those bikes in the back of the mind never goes away. I went into a convenience store for some coffee on my way to get Lisa for our road trip last Wednesday, and when I came out there was a random man standing around my bike rack trying to look nonchalant. I was only in the store for about 5 minutes. When I approached, the man still kind of stood around. It was very weird. Finally, he got in a car and just sat there, trying not to look my way. It seems like the threat of bike thieves is everywhere.

The second major thing with bike touring is that your clothes get very stinky very fast, especially when you are camping and re-using your bike clothes from day to day. Without a washer and dryer to freshen things up, everything just kind of builds up. We finally got to do laundry last night, which was a god-send, but before that we were smelling pretty bad. There's not much avoiding that, though. With bike pants costing around $90 each, you can't just have a separate pair for every day of a week long trip.

I think the third and last thing I have realized is that you can't bike every single day without a break. It's not about the physical exertion and needing a break from that. It is all about the mental work required to plan bike routes, find people to stay with, find places to lock your bike to, plan food to eat along the way. Today is my and Lisa's rest day. It is much needed. Although the sun is starting to shine in Moscow, I am catching up on this blog, school stuff, and emails. I slept in a bit and am going to try to read for a while in a cafe this afternoon. You can't go, go, go all the time. Some days you need to stop worrying about bike thieves, make yourself smell better, and take a break.

Cassandra: (Sat June 23) We woke up again this morning in a very wet tent (at the state park outside of Spokane) and drove to Spokane proper for some internet and a look at the weather forecast for the day. We didn’t want to be biking in the rain, of course. No matter where we looked, the forecast was the same: thunderstorms. It looked like we did, however, have a window of opportunity for riding in Spokane. The thunderstorms weren’t predicted to come in until 3:00 pm, so we headed to Green Bluff, an area that had been recommended to us by Dennis. Green Bluff is a farming cooperative located to the north of the city. Each farm in the area has a store with its produce, and sometimes they let people pick the produce themselves. We really wanted to check it out. Dennis said Green Bluff had been his refuge when he lived in Spokane during third year of medical school.

It took about 40 minutes for us to make it up to Green Bluff, thanks again to crazy directions from Google Maps. But finally we did make it to our first farm. The sky was looking gray, but we chanced it and unloaded the bikes. We had a map of the area and all of the farms, so we set out with that in my stem pack.

Most of the 12-mile route we did was paved, but probably a mile and a half of it was not, which was interesting for me on a road bike. Loose gravel and road bikes really don’t go together well. Lisa was fine, as she was on a mountain bike.

Despite occasionally almost falling off my bike due to the aforementioned road conditions, most of our ride today was great. Actually, I would go so far as to say it was awesome. We biked from farm to farm, stopping at the open ones to tour their country stores and check out their wares. In some we sampled food, like the candy shop we found nestled in the basement of a big Green Bluff country home. The owner’s husband was manning the counter, and because there weren’t many customers (because of the inclement weather), he told us all about how the candy store had been his wife’s big dream and how they had the recipe for the famous peanut brittle that had been served at the also famous Davenport Hotel many years ago. It was a fascinating story. At another farm/winery we did a wine tasting, which was a lot of fun.

We made it through the entire ride without a singe drop of rain, which was amazing. And we had really chosen our route well without knowing it ... due to the direction we started the loop in, we went down many hills but only had to climb one big one. Talk about getting lucky!

After our ride we drove south to Moscow, Idaho, looking for some sun. Hopefully tomorrow we can bike the Palouse!

We are several days into our trip now, and my body is doing great. I haven’t really been sore at all. I finally feel like I am on the right bike. What’s more, I am getting a real crash course in using my new bike. Today, I discovered that when going down hill it is a lot easier to use the alternate set of brakes that are on the handlebars. I don’t have to lean forward to the hood and it is a lot more comfortable for my hands.

I am learning my bike, but I am also learning how much I truly like biking. Doing so many training rides for the STP was wearing down my enjoyment of biking, because it was all about time and speed, but by taking a step back and getting new scenery and making biking fun again, I am really falling more in love with biking. Maybe after the STP I will get a rack and some panniers put on my bike so I can do more bike touring!

Cassandra: (Fri June 22) We woke up this morning (in Wenatchee) and the tent was wet from the thunder and lightning storm we had last night. We had heard the storm was coming but didn’t have many options besides sleeping outside at our spot at the state park. For the most part we stayed dry, and with some thinking ahead we even managed to protect the bikes with plastic bags over the handlebars and the seats.

After getting the tent put away in the car we hit the road for Spokane. It was a pretty nice three plus hour drive which stretched into over four because of bad directions from Google Maps. But finally we did make it to the Bowl and Pitcher area of Riverside State Park. After begging for a primitive campsite, which the ranger gave us but asked us not to set up until after 6 pm, we unloaded the bikes and got everything ready for our main ride of the day. Our goal was to ride from Riverside State Park into downtown Spokane, to explore and visit the visitor information center. Spokane is a great place for biking, we had heard, so we were excited to start pedaling around. Following the ranger’s directions, we headed down the main camp road until it met up with the Centennial Trail, a 37-mile section of paved trail that runs all the way to the Idaho border, where it meets up with the Hiawatha Trail. We didn’t have time to go all the way to Idaho, but we did follow the path through the suburbs of Spokane and into the heart of the city. We were stopped at a stoplight when Lisa looked down and noticed she had been riding the whole time with a panty liner stuck to the wheel of her bike (from yesterday). That was pretty darn funny!

After quickly removing the panty liner, Lisa and I biked on through the very pretty Riverfront Park (yes, different from where we stayed overnight) and to visitor information where we learned about the Davenport Hotel, one of the top hotels in the United States. After a short pedal to the Davenport and a self-guided tour, we headed back to the park for some snacks before continuing on the Centennial Trail past Gonzaga University and into the outskirts of Spokane.

The Centennial Trail is, at its best, very pretty. Parts of it run down by the river and are wooded; you can’t even hear cars around you. At its worst (which wasn’t all that bad), it is a bit confusing, with other sections winding up and down city streets and highways without very good signage. We made it out about 10 miles from Riverside Park before we turned around to head back into Spokane, to a park that we heard was having live music.

The woman at visitor information had told us about the live music and the pretty Manito Park. She said it wasn’t all that far, even though it was off our city map. She neglected to tell us it was up a gigantic hill. Lisa was running out of steam and we ended up getting off our bikes at one point and walking them up.

When we got to the park it was around 7:30 pm and beautiful. We listened to the husband and wife duo who were singing and Lisa ate some food from the cafe. She didn’t even get through her soup by the time we looked up and noticed the sky had clouded up. Only a couple of moments later, we heard thunder and saw lightening. Lisa and I just looked at each other. We didn’t know what to do ... here we were, about 10 miles from the state park. It was beginning to rain and we knew it would be dangerous trying to ride back to camp without getting either struck by lightening on our metal bikes or struck by a car on the slick roads. Everyone filed out of the cafe by the time we noticed a beer vendor in the back of the beer tent. He was loading up his van ... a huge van, by the way. It was Lisa’s idea to ask him for a ride back to camp. We honestly didn’t think it would work, but we were willing to try. To our surprise, not only did the guy say yes; he also offered us each a beer from his surplus from the night. We made sure other people knew he was driving us back, so everything was legitimate and safe. And then he did bring us back to our camp site. The travel fairy was very kind to us!!

It is supposed to rain more tonight, so our biking plans tomorrow will vary accordingly ...

Cassandra: (Thurs June 21) This was supposed to be the big kick-off day for our riding. I had planned a 23-mile ride through Wenatchee to Monitor. I found the route on a great web site that Wenatchee maintains for road biking in the area. Anyways, I was excited because it looked like the route weaved its way in and out of farm country.

We were getting a little later start than I had hoped at 11 am when we unloaded the bikes from the car. That, in itself, took a bit of time because we had secured our bikes and their tires to the bike rack with 4 separate locks (we were being very safe ... we did not want our bikes to get stolen!). Anyways, we were ready to head out when Lisa remembered that her bike seat needed adjusting. So we pulled out my multi-tool but the bolt for the seat wouldn’t budge. We both tried, and finally we asked the old guy camping next door for some help, but he couldn’t get it either. The bolt acted like it was stripped, and just would not move. Lisa said I could go on the ride without her while she found a bike shop in town, but I didn’t want us to get separated, so we loaded the bikes up again and drove into town. We drove around looking for a bike shop and finally, headed to the visitor’s center to ask directions to one, stumbled into one. They adjusted Lisa’s seat, pumped up her tires, and we got her outfitted with some waterbottles, cages, and a little backpack. I splurged on some finger-less riding gloves, which were actually really helpful later in the day when we actually got to ride.

Finally, just after 1:00 pm, we were back at the camp site and getting back on our bikes. We rode out of the park and onto the city streets, which was actually pretty challenging while trying to read a cue-sheet for the first time. I kept having to stop and read the sheet of paper for the correct turns and streets, which was really a pain. I think I need to find out how other cyclists handle their cue sheets. I finally rode with it crumpled under my hand on the hood, and then glanced at it whenever I needed to. We got turned around a couple of times because the directions on the cue sheet weren’t 100% accurate, but eventually found ourselves going very fast down some country road. There were cherry trees and apple trees whizzing by us; it was very pretty and there wasn’t much traffic.

Our route was great as far as traffic went, but we did hit an awful lot of hills. Like, tons of hills. And steep ones at that. Luckily, we got our share of downhills as well as climbs. But it was a very windy way to get to Monitor on the backroads. Once in Monitor we tried asking directions from a passing car and I got to use my Spanish because the women inside didn’t speak more than a word or two of English. Lisa and I joked that Eastern Washington is kind of like traveling to another country. You get a different culture and a different language, but you don’t even have to go far for it. It’s perfect.

Unfortunately, the ladies we talked to didn’t know how to get where we wanted to go, but we made some lucky guesses and ended up on the correct roads finally. We rode until we got to the Anjou Bakery, which was a very cool little place where we ate and refilled our waterbottles. Lisa loves baked goods and was in heaven.

From Monitor we continued on the back roads (and just a smidge of highway) to Cashmere, which was about another 1.5 miles down the road. It was nice to finally be in a cute little town over here. Monitor was unimpressive and Wenatchee is just plain ugly. But Cashmere was a beautiful little place, a little like Sedro Woolley during 4th of July with flags everywhere on their main street. We biked to the Aplets and Cotlets Factory and ate free samples, then picked up some of their goods for bike food (great bc they are filled with sugar, sugar, and more sugar). Next, we did a tasting at a distillery, and then it was time to head back.

Our route back was a shorter, more direct way to get to Wenatchee. It took us for almost 6 miles on Easy Street, which was really amusing to us because Easy Street was one gigantic hill. We had to ride up forever, and then finally got a good downhill.

Once we were back in Wenatchee and at the campground we had biked 26 miles. It was the longest bike ride Lisa had ever done. Her butt was sore, but otherwise she was feeling pretty good. I was very pleased with my new bike and the seat. I didn’t really have any soreness, although I need to be sure tomorrow to re-apply the butt cream part-way through the ride. It does make a difference in comfort.

After eating some dinner we pedaled into Wenatchee for some free Wifi, so we could make plans for tomorrow. We’re headed to Spokane. The most memorable thing about our ride tonight was all of the bugs! We each kept getting bugs in our eyes because we weren’t riding with glasses on. Boy, did we learn our lesson! At one point, I think I had two or three bugs floating around in the same eye!

We did learn another lesson today, too. Earlier, on our way to the bike shop, Lisa’s bike kept swinging and hitting my car and I was worried because it started taking a little paint off. I wanted to put something in between the bike and the car, but because there was normally a gap there, I was afraid whatever we put there would fall onto the road instead of doing its job. But Lisa came up with a great idea, to stick a panty liner to my car so that the bike could swing and hit it but the car would still be protected. It worked like a charm, but it sure was funny to be driving around town with a panty liner stuck to the back of my car!!

We are looking forward to more biking tomorrow. Hopefully Lisa won’t be too sore.

Cassandra: (Wed June 20) I have vacation for the next (almost) two weeks and have wanted to get some additional training in for the STP, so I have decided to do a cross-Washington bike/road trip. Originally, the plan was to go by myself since Dennis is going to Philadelphia for vacation, but then last night my friend, Lisa, came by for some wine. We hadn’t seen each other for almost 6 months because of her school schedule; she is a nursing student at Shoreline Community College. So she came over, along with our other friend from study-abroad in Austria, Michelle. We were drinking wine and I was telling Lisa about my planned road trip when she decided it would be a good idea to invite herself along. The more we thought about it, the better it sounded. We would drive together to different destinations around Eastern Washington, each bringing our bikes so we could do day-trips wherever we went. It would be safer because we’d be together. And it would be more fun. So, at 11:30 pm last night, Lisa headed home to pack.

Today we drove from Seattle to Wenatchee along Highway 2 and were lucky enough to get a camping spot at Wenatchee Confluence State Park. After getting our tent sent up we unloaded the bikes and headed into downtown Wenatchee for some food. Lisa felt like something greasy, not the sandwich-making materials we had brought with us. We traveled along the Wenatchee Loop Trail on our bikes about 2.5 miles each way, at a slow to moderate pace. There was lots of people watching to do, and Lisa couldn’t go very fast because her bike seat was still adjusted for her mom (she is using her mom’s bike). Our little 5-mile ride was a nice warm-up and a good reminder for me that riding bikes can be fun. It doesn’t have to be all sport and hard-core.

Cassandra: (Weekend of June 16th) Mom and I had big ambitions this weekend. Since I was going to be up in Bellingham for Father’s Day, we decided to get up early and ride 50 miles on Saturday. But, Friday night we were up late drinking wine in the pergola. We made our first concession, that we would get up whenever we were done sleeping instead of setting an alarm. On Saturday morning, the concessions continued. When we woke up, we had breakfast and then decided it made more sense to get our errands done in the morning and then ride later on our trainers. I had brought mine up with my new bike. Our most important errand was getting our almost-identical black and white bike jerseys customized with our names on the front and ‘Mother,’ and ‘Daughter’ on the back. It took a lot longer than we thought it was, but it was a fun process. We got to pick out the fonts and the sizes of the letters. In the end, we got exactly what we were looking for: cool sporty-looking souvenir jerseys. It took a lot of laughs on our part, lots of looking through text catalogs, and a lot of patience from the t-shirt man, but we were happy. We finally did get to ride on our trainers that afternoon, but it was a short ride. Mom did 5 miles and I did 6. It seemed like my bike computer was indeed off, but we’ll have to investigate it better when we are riding on the road together.

Cassandra: So, some big things have been happening for me bike-wise. In fact, I switched out my bike. I had been having some fit issues and gone back and forth with the people at REI trying to make my bike more comfortable. But it felt too small and I kept having muscle pain (not to mention the pain in my crotch from getting rubbed raw by my bike). Finally, I decided that I was tired of having doubts and fixing small things that didn't seem to make a big difference, so I committed to looking for a new bike. I am glad this is something I don't have to do again for years and years, because it is about the least enjoyable thing to do. When I had first bought my Cannondale, Dennis and I were in REI for something like 8 hours. This time it took me 6 to find the right bike.

Although the people at REI had been wonderful, I started out my new bike search at a different location because I wanted to try some brands that REI didn't carry. I was matched up with Ben from the Montlake Bike Shop, who helped me choose models to try and swapped out stems and seats to try to get me a better fit. He first had me try another Cannondale, but I soon made it clear that I wanted to try something different from what I had tried before. He found me a brand new black and white Giant from the back and wheeled it out. The first thing I noticed was that this bike had a larger hood (the area up by the front brakes) for my hands, which I liked. Once he swapped out the stem and I sat on it, I liked the bike even more. The seat was more comfortable than the one on my Cannondale and even more comfortable than the other seats we had swapped for. I took the bike for a ride around the Montlake area and it felt good. Unfortunately, great is the enemy of good. I wanted a bike that felt great. So we swapped out the stem again and I did a few rounds of musical bikes, comparing my Cannondale with a newer (and bigger) Cannondale with the Giant. I knew both of the new bikes felt better than my bike, but at the same time the differences between the new bikes were subtle. The Cannondale felt really good on my legs but the Giant felt better everywhere else.

Finally, I did what I read about in a career book. When faced with a situation without a clear answer, make one up. So, I did make up an answer and it was that the Giant was the bike for me. But I wasn't in the clear yet. I still had to go back to REI and return my old bike. They didn't even bat an eye, just returned it for me (I need to write their customer service department a very nice letter). After that, I let Montlake know they could start hanging my gear on my new bike. It was a done deal.

I have since done a few rides on my new bike. Last Thursday I rode for 13 miles (even though it was the last thing I wanted to do on my day off) and on Friday I rode for 9 miles, both times on the trainer. My butt was less sore than it used to be and I did have less muscular issues. On Sunday I did a longer ride on the trainer. I could have gone outside for my 30 miles, but it looked cold out there and I wasn't feeling motivated at all. So, I stayed inside and watched a movie on my projector and then listened to music once that was over. My muscles felt pretty good until the very end, when my calves started to feel a little achy, but I had lots of mental pain. I just didn't want to ride my bike. Luckily, I applied the seat of my pants to the seat of the bike and just rode until I completed my 30 miles.

On Sunday I tried the Nuun mom sent me, and I liked it a lot. It did seem to help with my performance. I drank that along with a waterbottle of water and ate a Lara bar half-way through. I felt good enough after showering and eating lunch to go on a super long walk around Seattle.

Although I do like my new bike better, I am having one issue and that is with my new bike computer. I upgraded to a model that shows cadence and is wired to the back tire so I can see how fast I am going on my trainer (when wired to the front tire you don't get any reading on the trainer because the front tire doesn't move at all). I think the read on it is inaccurate, though. I was pedaling really fast and it barely showed me moving at 12.5 mph. Going all-out showed 15 mph. I have ridden enough on trails to know that I am going faster than that. I know what it feels like to pedal at a true 15 mph, and it just doesn't match up to what I am seeing on the trainer. I don't think it would be possible for me to pedal fast enough to make the thing show 20 mph. So, I need to have that looked at. It is making me feel like a slacker, and even though I have been severely lacking in motivation lately, I am not one. I'll have to consult the bike pro's.

Carol - Sunday.....the day I put my bike down for the first time.  I was actually looking forward to my ride today and hoping for a forty mile ride.  The weather again was cold and there was wind.  It doesn't take a whole lot of wind to make a difference because you also create windage as you ride, however, I decided to continue on.  I took a different route just because I thought it would be fun to mix things up.  I ended up at the intersection of Dupont and Broadway in front of the fire state doors.  It took forever to have the light change because there were no cars going straight on my side so I actually sat through five light changes.  I was almost ready to take the crosswalk just when the light turned green.  I gave a good power push and was getting ready to followup with another powerful down stroke when the light turned yellow.  I was wondering what was going on because it didn't stay green long enough for even one car to make it through.  Yet I was committed at that point.  It was just after the second power stroke that I heard the ambulance.  I looked to my left and realized I wouldn't be able to make it across so I braked hard and went down.  It wasn't even graceful..... it was hard and on my left.  I took a quick inventory of myself, got up grabbing my bike and went over to the side of the rode.  It took just a couple of seconds to see that I had punctured my knee and that it was bleeding down my leg.  Fortunately I had put in a fresh pack of tissue in my bag but every time I removed it blood would squirt out.  I decided to call Rich and have him pick me up.  I made my way (limping) across the street over to the firehouse and sat on one of the picnic tables in their patio area.  The firefighters must have seen me because three came running out offering to help.  They bandaged me up and talked with me while I waited for Rich. 
I am now on the couch with a very, very, sore beat up knee and leg.  I just hope I can get on the trainer and ride again soon.   BTW I didn't get my forty miles in...I think I ended up with a whopping six.  Oh well,  my bike is fine and I'm sure I will be too in a couple of days.  It could have been a lot worse.

Carol - This weekends goal was to ride at least thirty miles on Saturday and forty on Sunday.  Saturday the weather was again very cold so I decided to ride on the trainer.  I actually rode thirty three miles.  I didn't get on the bike until late so I didn't finish my ride until almost midnight.  It was a nice ride.  I could have riden longer if I wanted to stay up later.  Next time I'll start earlier.

Carol - Monday.  I actually need to catch up blogging for three rides tonight.  First was Wednesday's ride.  After taking Memorial weekend off I felt like I was neglecting my training rides.  I spent most of the day running errands and put my ride off until early evening while I waited to see what the weather really would do....like rain or not rain.  About 7:00 I decided it was going to rain for sure so I put my bike on the trainer and watched TV for a while.  Then I thought well I'd like to ride for more time so maybe I'll watch a movie.  On-demand had several that I wanted to see but there was one that I had wanted to see in the Theater "Gone".  It was within five seconds after I hit the buy button that I started questioning myself.  It was a scary movie and I don't watch those when I'm home alone.  Well, I thought "I'll just shut my eyes or turn my head if I need to".  So I continued to ride....it actually improved my performance because every time it got scary I rode faster.  Anyway thirty five miles and one scary show later I finished my ride.  It's too bad that I had nighmares and ended up hitting Rich a couple of times in the middle of the night leaving a huge black and blue mark on him arm.  Sorry Rich!

Saturday - It rained all day.  Not just showers but full blown rain.  In fact, Rich and I were tired from the previous weekend so we woke up late and watched a movie in bed.  This is something I will usually only do in the winter and only once or twice a year.  It was very nice given the weather.  About three o'clock we turned on a movie and I got on the bike and rode (again on the trainer).  My goal for the weekend was to start riding both weekend days; similar to the STP but not the distance.  I decided my goal for Saturday would be twenty five to thirty five miles.  At the end of my ride I had rode 25.5 miles.....however, I rode the distance at a twenty miles per hour average.  Also, I felt really good afterwards.

Sunday - It rained all day again, however, about the time I decided I'd put the bike on the trainer the sun came out.  I decided I'd put on my riding clothes and just ride around the neighborhood.  Once I was out on the rode though I just couldn't stop.  I had told Rich before I left I'd be gone a very short time since I hadn't eaten much.  I started down the road to Lakeway and decided I'd ride to one of my very short very steep training hills and out to Lake Whatcom.  Once there I decided I wasn't ready to got back yet so I called Rich to give him my new plan and rode into town, then to Fairhaven, back through town and out to the letter streets and on finally to the yacht club.  By the time I decided to quit for the night I had rode twenty five miles.  I actually tried "Nuun" a sports drink that some of my friends swear by....I have to say I felt great especially for not eating right before my ride.  Tomorrow I am sending some to Cassandra for her to try.  I will use this product again.  Since I had decided I wouldn't worry about speed I really just enjoyed the ride....in fact I enjoyed it a lot.  I returned home very happy and excited to ride again which is not always the case.  It pays to just sit back and enjoy the view....I think I'll do it more often.  It really brought home why and how much I like to cycle.

Cassandra: This past weekend I was lucky enough to ride in Mazama, Washington. For those of you who aren't familiar with Mazama, it is on the east side of the pass, about 15 miles before you get to Winthrop on Highway 20. My Aunt Cheryl had invited me over for the weekend. Last year I was also over there for Memorial Day and we ran the Mazama 5k together, but this year nobody was running. I knew that meant I had to bring my bike, both for exercise and training purposes. Because it was a nice, relaxing cabin weekend I didn't do anything too crazy intense. I decided to enjoy my bike and do some pleasure rides along with a good training ride. So, on Saturday I rode 5 miles with my cousin, Malloree. We rode to the general store, sat and read books, and then rode back. On Sunday I explored the road that goes past the cabin in the other direction. Aunt Cheryl came along for part of it. I rode 8.25 miles. The thing that was surprising to me was that it was significantly harder going away from the cabin than coming back home. This was due to not only hills but a strong head-wind. I had to put my bike in hill-gears to power through the head-wind at times, even on flat ground. It felt nice to not worry about speed, though, and to focus on the beautiful sights and smells around me. On Sunday I did a training ride of almost 24 miles. I rode east from the cabin towards Goat Greek Road and where it intersects with Highway 20. The first part of the ride was generally flat, but then once I passed the general store it started to get very hilly. It was up and down, and up and down, and then up and down. The hills were pretty intense and I just relaxed into the bike and let it take me as long as it needed to take me. As steep as the hills were going up, though, they were equally steep going down and I would whoosh along the road at 25 miles per hour or so on my way down. In a car that isn't fast, but on a bike it is. Luckily, the road was pretty well maintained and I didn't hit any pot holes. That was especially good because my eyes weren't always on the road. There were too many other things to look at like trees and campsites and birds and horses. It was a nice morning, which made for a great ride. After getting to the intersection of Goat Creek Road and Highway 20 I turned around and headed back towards the cabin, then continued on to where the road pretty much dead-ended. At that point I turned around again to head back to the cabin. It took me 2 hours with stops (an hour and 39 minutes of riding time) to do my almost 24 miles, and all in all, I really enjoyed it. The new scenery made things fun, and it was nice to be able to ride in my shorts and jersey since it was so warm. But also, I drank 2 water bottles of water and fueled somewhat often. That will do a lot to make a good ride! I can't wait to ride in Mazama again!