All Is Well -- But You Know We Haven't Had Rain Here in Three Months

Yesterday's accommodations were rustic.  For those of you who know about Pahaska Tepee in East Yellowstone, think even less.  So, internet was sketchy, but this place had an really interesting spin.  There were rabbits everywhere.  It appeared to be domesticated breeds running free.  I'm not sure what the story was and I didn't investigate, but I cannot even begin to describe how many rabbits there were.

So we'll start with yesterday.  First day to run SAG support. If you don't know, it stands for Support and Gear.  This company generally has the SAG vehicle and driver responsible for the riders from the time they leave the starting hotel until all riders arrive at the end hotel.  In the information that is provided, it explains that the Honda CRV is named "Little Bo Peep."  Pretty appropriate.  That means meeting riders every 15 to 20 miles with snacks, water, Gatorade, etc.; checking to make sure everyone is moving along (meaning you have to be able to FIND everyone); helping with any mechanical issues on the road; and communicating any problems to staff (like yesterday).

This is what a typical SAG stop set up looks like.  In this case, complete with fresh picked flowers.  You know presentation is everything.

So, 1 mile into the route we had riders lost and 3 miles into the route -- "Houston, we have a problem."

At 1.1 the cue sheet called for a left turn at the light onto Hwy 9 then cross the railroad tracks.  Unfortunately, the cue sheet didn't mention there are actually two stop lights there. One goes back into town,the second onto Hwy 9.  So I happened to stop at that first light and a guy on a motorcycle yells at me -- "Hey, are you looking for a bunch of bikers."  "Yes, I am."  He points the other way, "They went that way." (i.e. the wrong way)  Fairly quickly here the flock comes from the wrong direction and I helped them get back on route.  

In the mean time, the lead rider had called that at mile 3 the signs say the road is closed, "But, I'm sure we can get through."  Anyone who bikes, typically doesn't know a closed road that they can't get through.  Such was the case for the bikers yesterday, but not for "Little Bo Peep," the van and the trailer.

I helped the riders get through, but now I have to figure out how to meet them 15 miles down route without being able to follow the cue sheet myself.  I texted the van, and we agreed I would plug in a down route intersection into my "Smart" phone and let it give me the directions and work my way back to the riders.  In the meantime, I'm waiting for the last two riders to appear at the closed road -- 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes (keep in mind it's 3 miles!).  They never show up, I have already managed to lose over half the flock!

The van and I agree, I'm going to move forward.  The last two are pretty strong, so probably not too much to worry about yet.  I follow the "Smart" phone directions and go back to the last corner, go the opposite direction I came from (makes sense so far); turn, turn, turn -- I'm headed right back to the closed road!  This "Smart" phone is not so "Smart" today!  Now what?  I have no idea where I am, of course.  When you're on the bike, you rely on the cue sheet.  So, I decide to try the marked detour and see what happens.  Low and behold, brings me right back on route only behind the riders.  Whew!

After the first sag stop, I worked my way backwards to try to find the two lost sheep and found them within two miles.  They too had taken the wrong turn in town and didn't realize until quite some time later.  They had a message from the ride leader about the road closed, so they were able to maneuver their way through that without a problem.

There was another missing rider later in the day that I waited on for an hour and I finally started working my way backwards again.  When I finally got close to a town and cell service, she had left a message on the SAG phone apologizing that she had missed a turn and was already at the cabins!  No worries, everyone is now "found."

The last riders didn't make it in without some rain yesterday. Nothing hard nor dangerous.  Just a nice little shower, but that was a glimpse of things to come.

So, all in all it was a different perspective of the ride.  I SAG again on Thursday.

Scenery at one of the sags on Sunday.  Snow in the higher elevations.

Today's route was Marblemount to Winthrop (still in Washington), through the North Cascades National Park.  WOW!  91 miles of spectacular scenery.  Climbing was incredible.  And descents....16 miles downhill, some switchbacks and a lot of grade.  It was deserved.

The total climb today was 6,955 feet.  The summit was Washington Pass.  

Today's climbing took us over to the high desert of Washington and provides a different look than what we've had since the trip started.

We woke up to steady rain this morning, though.  No thunder or lightening, so everything important gets put into plastic bags and we ride.  Tomorrow is an off day.  The laundromat will be busy.  Everything is a wet, gritty, dirty mess.  Fortunately the temperatures remain warm, so even though it was raining, it wasn't cold.  It was 90 when we arrived in Winthrop this afternoon, and the forecast calls for 100 later this week.  

We had a picnic lunch on route today, since services were not available to sustain ourselves.  The sun was shining by the time we arrived there, 30 miles into the route and 4 hours after we started.  Yes it was a long day.  Once the sun was out, it was pretty warm climbing.

There are waterfalls everywhere, even along the road.  It was pretty tempting to stop pedaling and just stand under one of those falls.  Hey, part of the laundry would have been done then too.

We were treated tonight to flank steak, broccoli, corn and Cesar salad prepared by the ride chef.  It, as all the meals have been, delicious.  Last night she prepared fresh sockeye salmon with pasta and pesto.  This is much better than over-running one of the local restaurants.

This group of riders has a variety of abilities.  The majority have toured before.  And, they have really come together as a group, helping and supporting each other on the route each day.  There are a couple of non-US riders (Canada and Ireland).  The rider from Ireland was my roommate the first night and was very enjoyable -- "That's brilliant!"  There are several riders that are "retired," including my roommate for the next two days -- retired as an Army medical physician.  It's an interesting group, and it has been a good trip so far.

First orders of business tomorrow will be laundry and clean bikes.  Hopefully, we'll be able to get back into town to see the sites.  Winthrop was described to us as a "faux-"Western town.  I would concur with that analogy based on passing through this afternoon.  It looks to have many local shopkeepers and a very vibrant downtown, so it will be interesting.

I'm hoping first, though, to finally be able to get on track with the western time zone.  I usually struggle when coming west, and this trip is no exception.  I have no trouble going to sleep but have been waking up 4:00 local time, which of course is 6:00 central time.

Hope all is well wherever you are.  

Here's today's joke from the Miner family (who is also vacationing at this time but keeping me updated with their activities) --
Q.  What do you call a cow with no legs?
A.  Ground beef

Also, special shout out to Sophia who created a really special picture for me, for this day of the ride.  It was waiting when we arrived in Winthrop and will have a special place for viewing when I get back to Bettendorf.  Thanks, Sophie!!