I am the Walrus, gu gu ka choo. OK, so I am dating myself. "I'm going slightly mad" (Queen). It feels good to have Montana behind us; it was beautiful and the people were friendly, but boy was it long (670 miles). Here are the numbers. We have completed 21 days on our trek, covered about 1360 miles, have about 3000 miles to go to Bar Harbor. We are averaging about 65 miles a day and our original plan was to average 70 miles a day to be done in 2 months. Considering that less than a week ago we were averaging only 55 miles a day, I would say that we are doing pretty well. We went 4 straight days of 100+ miles each day across Montana. We have hopes of doing the same across North Dakota. We hope to be in Fargo by Friday July 4, and in Stevens Point for a welcome 2 night stop around July 9. Of course, this is all weather and equipment dependent. Physically, we are all hanging in there, with some sore muscles and butts, but otherwise well with spirits high. We are eating well, drinking fine beer, and still getting along. Thanks everyone for your comments and support.
Bill Jenkins
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Williston, ND
Last post was short so we missed some stuff. We spent 2 days in Glacier National Park prior to busting multiple 100 mile days, where we took an off day. On our day off we rode as far up going to The Going to the Sun Road as we could, which was about 20 miles from our campsite in Apgar. On our way down we hiked 2 miles in to Avalanche Lake, a beautiful lake circled in waterfalls.
After our last post we rode a brutal 105 miles with a strong cross wind. We started out the day with a massive breakfast of 2 pancakes (honestly, 1.5' in diameter and 1" thick), 3 eggs, 4 thick slices of bacon and a pile of hashbrowns. Nobody actually finished the meal and we walked out with painfully full stomaches. We continued on to Wolf Point, after which I (Patrick Henneghan) bonked (a thouroughly not fun experience). After Wolf Point we continued 15 miles or so on to a late lunch, around 2-3 o'clock, where I was revived. The next 40 miles or so we enjoyed the company of Chip and Seth while battling crosswinds. We also found that Eastern Montana is beautiful in the same sense that the badlands is.
I was not the only one struggling that day. My dad was in incredible pain since his foot was unwilling to stay in his shoe, a problem caused by his ankle brace. With 7 miles left we talked to Jim Hellmer, a nice rancher who pulled up to talk with us. He informed us that the haze that surrounded us all day was caused by local fires and fires in Canada, something we were wondering about during the day. Jim offered a ride to us, Bill vehemently refused, but my dad took him up on the offer. We pulled into camp at about 7pm nearly 12 hours after we left camp that morning.
Today we only biked 45 miles, a great break after the last, most challenging century we have had. We are staying with Leroy Anseth tonight, Dr. London Cooper's (a local dentist) father. We are currently at their house using their internet and about to enjoy a dinner with them.
Roadkill Report:
Rattlesnake
Skunk
Fox (many)
Prarie Dog (many)
Songbirds (many)
Wildlife Report
Black Bear (which I zipped within 5 feet of without knowing at 20mph before seeing it)
Mountain Goats
Merlin (my dad is very excited about this)
Snakes
Weasel
Deer
Cactus
Tumbleweeds (absolutely hilarious dead plants, one actually attacked my dad)
--Patrick Henneghan
After our last post we rode a brutal 105 miles with a strong cross wind. We started out the day with a massive breakfast of 2 pancakes (honestly, 1.5' in diameter and 1" thick), 3 eggs, 4 thick slices of bacon and a pile of hashbrowns. Nobody actually finished the meal and we walked out with painfully full stomaches. We continued on to Wolf Point, after which I (Patrick Henneghan) bonked (a thouroughly not fun experience). After Wolf Point we continued 15 miles or so on to a late lunch, around 2-3 o'clock, where I was revived. The next 40 miles or so we enjoyed the company of Chip and Seth while battling crosswinds. We also found that Eastern Montana is beautiful in the same sense that the badlands is.
I was not the only one struggling that day. My dad was in incredible pain since his foot was unwilling to stay in his shoe, a problem caused by his ankle brace. With 7 miles left we talked to Jim Hellmer, a nice rancher who pulled up to talk with us. He informed us that the haze that surrounded us all day was caused by local fires and fires in Canada, something we were wondering about during the day. Jim offered a ride to us, Bill vehemently refused, but my dad took him up on the offer. We pulled into camp at about 7pm nearly 12 hours after we left camp that morning.
Today we only biked 45 miles, a great break after the last, most challenging century we have had. We are staying with Leroy Anseth tonight, Dr. London Cooper's (a local dentist) father. We are currently at their house using their internet and about to enjoy a dinner with them.
Roadkill Report:
Rattlesnake
Skunk
Fox (many)
Prarie Dog (many)
Songbirds (many)
Wildlife Report
Black Bear (which I zipped within 5 feet of without knowing at 20mph before seeing it)
Mountain Goats
Merlin (my dad is very excited about this)
Snakes
Weasel
Deer
Cactus
Tumbleweeds (absolutely hilarious dead plants, one actually attacked my dad)
--Patrick Henneghan
Friday, June 27, 2008
Glasgow, MT
The last three days have been good fast riding. We have ridden 100+ miles each day. The winds have been favorable and we are feeling great. Eastern Montana's scenery is pretty much non-existent, but we have met many other cyclists the last couple of days, which has been very fun.
This blog entry has to be short because I don't have much time, but hopefully in 3 days we will be able to update it more fully.
Several of the people that we are riding with are maintaining blogs/photo pages, which are updated more frequently than ours:
Michael- flickr.com/photos/michaelcr/
Steve- http://stelf.wordpress.com/
Seth- bikingforallergies.blogspot.com/
If you wish to donate to the Livestrong foundation visit: http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/cycleusaforhope
--Patrick Henneghan
This blog entry has to be short because I don't have much time, but hopefully in 3 days we will be able to update it more fully.
Several of the people that we are riding with are maintaining blogs/photo pages, which are updated more frequently than ours:
Michael- flickr.com/photos/michaelcr/
Steve- http://stelf.wordpress.com/
Seth- bikingforallergies.blogspot.com/
If you wish to donate to the Livestrong foundation visit: http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/cycleusaforhope
--Patrick Henneghan
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Whitefish, MT
Tonight we are staying with another contact of Bill's from the Naval Academy, Dave Williams. His house is amazing, built on Whitefish Lake. In addition, Dave has 2 beautiful daughters and a friend of theirs staying here. He took us on a boat ride around Whitefish lake. Very relaxing. They are a fun bunch.
We stayed the previous evening at the River Bend RV park on the Kootenai river. The people there were also very nice, and they had good beer on tap. Overall, we have been having a very good time, meeting lots of nice people. The weather has been cooperating pretty well, except the thunderstorm that just passed over us. Fortunately, we were on the Williams' deck at the time.
Tomorrow we hit Glacier National Park. We will NOT be going over the Going-to-the-Sun Road. They have been having avalanches up there, so the road is still buried by 30 feet of snow. Bill and Pat are disappointed. I am relieved. The 2000 foot drop off the right side of the road had me a little worried.
Look for Bill's and Pat's posts for more interesting information. This sounded a little like a travelogue.
Dave Henneghan
We stayed the previous evening at the River Bend RV park on the Kootenai river. The people there were also very nice, and they had good beer on tap. Overall, we have been having a very good time, meeting lots of nice people. The weather has been cooperating pretty well, except the thunderstorm that just passed over us. Fortunately, we were on the Williams' deck at the time.
Tomorrow we hit Glacier National Park. We will NOT be going over the Going-to-the-Sun Road. They have been having avalanches up there, so the road is still buried by 30 feet of snow. Bill and Pat are disappointed. I am relieved. The 2000 foot drop off the right side of the road had me a little worried.
Look for Bill's and Pat's posts for more interesting information. This sounded a little like a travelogue.
Dave Henneghan
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Sandpoint, ID (3)
Roadkill Report (It had to happen)
Fox (1)
Songbirds (countless)
Turtles (3+)
Deer (1): also one deer skull still embedded w/ arrow
Dave (almost, helmets save the day again)
Several long abandoned cars
Living Nature Report
Osprey
Golden eagle
Fake great horned owl
Vultures
Countless song birds
Hummingbirds (various species)
Unidentified birds of prey
Whitetail deer
Mule deer
Elk
Antelope (maybe)
Painted turtles (crossing the road)
If you would like to donate to Livestrong visit http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/cycleusaforhope
Fox (1)
Songbirds (countless)
Turtles (3+)
Deer (1): also one deer skull still embedded w/ arrow
Dave (almost, helmets save the day again)
Several long abandoned cars
Living Nature Report
Osprey
Golden eagle
Fake great horned owl
Vultures
Countless song birds
Hummingbirds (various species)
Unidentified birds of prey
Whitetail deer
Mule deer
Elk
Antelope (maybe)
Painted turtles (crossing the road)
If you would like to donate to Livestrong visit http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/cycleusaforhope
Sandpoint, Idaho (2)
Well, we have been settling into a comfortable rhythm on the road. Pat is by far the strongest cyclist in the group. Bill is next strongest, and I am the weakest (it's OK- I'm not sensitive about it). Bill has been leading and navigating. I ride second, and Pat rides last to keep his eye on me. It's a good system that has been working well.
Bill mentioned having lunch on the reservation. One older gentleman saw us, went straight to his car, and gave us each a cold water bottle. That was very nice of him. When we talked to some of the officers who were working there, they were not unduly impressed that we were riding across the country. They were VERY taken aback that we were going to ride Bridge Creek Road on a bicycle. That's just not something that sane people do, apparently. It was on that road that I hit the wall and had to stop for the night.
Our campsites have been fabulous. We have been on a river most of the nights. Washington has been gorgrous- breathtaking vistas, mountain streams, and insanely hard riding. I am looking forward to Idaho and Montana, although we will be in Montana for a long time. It is a BIG state.
I'll see you again next time we get access to a computer.
Pat's turn
Dave Henneghan
Bill mentioned having lunch on the reservation. One older gentleman saw us, went straight to his car, and gave us each a cold water bottle. That was very nice of him. When we talked to some of the officers who were working there, they were not unduly impressed that we were riding across the country. They were VERY taken aback that we were going to ride Bridge Creek Road on a bicycle. That's just not something that sane people do, apparently. It was on that road that I hit the wall and had to stop for the night.
Our campsites have been fabulous. We have been on a river most of the nights. Washington has been gorgrous- breathtaking vistas, mountain streams, and insanely hard riding. I am looking forward to Idaho and Montana, although we will be in Montana for a long time. It is a BIG state.
I'll see you again next time we get access to a computer.
Pat's turn
Dave Henneghan
SANDPOINT, IDAHO (1)
Well, what a long strange trip it's been! We have safely arrived in Sandpoint, none the worse for wear. Our total mileage now reads 504 in 9 days; we are averaging about 55 miles a day which is pretty good for all of the mountains that we have been climbing. We have crossed some incredibly beautiful country, most of it very remote so, of course, no access to a computer to make our postings. So you will now get a huge dose of update from all 3 of us.
Tonight we are staying at the home of Geoffrey and Cathy Cant, U.S. Naval Academy class of 1959. They are being kind and gracious to host us and provide us a little creature comfort along our journey. Geoffrey is a classmate of Bob Beaton who was my company officer when I was a Midshipman at the academy. What a wonderful sense of connectedness there is among academy graduates.
After our last posting in Twisp, we had a big breakfast at a friendly local restaurant. Upon leaving the restarurant to get on our bikes, we discovered that my bike had a flat tire -- glass puncture. So we have had our first on-road repair (certainly not our last), probably because it was Friday the 13th! That day we cycled over a very difficult Loup-Loup Pass, probably our steepest overall climb. Because of that climb we only cycled 40 miles to Omak, where we camped in the local stampede grounds. We had a great meal in town at the Main Street Bar & Grill where Steve, Milo, and Jim were very friendly and helpful in giving us advice for the next day's cycling. We were even able to bring our bikes inside the restaurant for safekeeping. After dinner we provisioned at the local Safeway for 2 days worth of meals.
The next day (Saturday June 14) we deviated from our Adventure Cycling maps and headed across the Colville Indian Reservation. We changed the route because we wanted to avoid Sherman Pass to the north, which at 5575 feet would have been our highest climb. We had heard that it was very difficult, so we chose a southern route through the reservation. We had a beautiful ride along the Columbia River, with a few difficult but short climbs thrown in. We stopped at the Colville Indian Agency for lunch, eating our special pita bread sandwiches as tribal members came and went; that day were tribal elections. We had some interesting looks and some curious questions from the locals; I think to a person they thought we were nuts. A local tribal constable found out we were cycling along Bridge Creek Road and laughed. We found out later in the day why he was laughing. In the heat of the day we were trudging up steep (but thankfully short) roads -- Dave and I twice had to stop and walk our bikes up 10% grades to the top. We made it about 66 miles into the Kettle River mountains when we came across a clearing in the forest along the road with an outhouse and we said -- that's it. Dave could go no farther and we all agreed we should stop for the night. So we camped on the Indian reservation without permission, but no one bothered us. The next day we found out we had made a wise choice, because we had more serious climbing before finally descending 2500 feet at breakneck speed into the Columbia River gorge. We stopped for lunch at a town called Inchelium, along Lake FDR. It was a little hole in the wall gas station with a lunch counter with 5 seats. We ate fried food -- burritos, onion rings, whatever. It was delicious! We then proceeded to cycle up the Columbia River, stopped for a swim, and made it to Colville. We camped at the county fairgrounds and ate the best Mexican food we had ever tasted.
Yesterday (Monday June 16) was as beautiful a ride as the previous days were arduous. We had some climbing, but much of the ride was along the beautiful Pend Oreille River. We stayed at a deserted National Park Service campground right on the river; unfortunately, the mosquitos were bigger and nastier than those in Wisconsin. We ate pasta are went to bed early.
Today (Tuesday June 17) we had the most pleasant cycling day of our trip. We cycled 64 miles up the Pend Oreille river to Sandpoint, via Newport. In Newport we met Hughes "Crumps" Crumpler, USNA '65 for a Mexican lunch and had a nice visit. Thanks Crumps for the chance to meet you.
So that's the big update. Dave has some things to add, and Pat wants to get some photos on line. The Cants have some other USNA and cycling folks coming over to meet us, and we may even be featured in the local newspaper. So we are pleased with our progress, excited about the future, and having fun.
Bill Jenkins
Tonight we are staying at the home of Geoffrey and Cathy Cant, U.S. Naval Academy class of 1959. They are being kind and gracious to host us and provide us a little creature comfort along our journey. Geoffrey is a classmate of Bob Beaton who was my company officer when I was a Midshipman at the academy. What a wonderful sense of connectedness there is among academy graduates.
After our last posting in Twisp, we had a big breakfast at a friendly local restaurant. Upon leaving the restarurant to get on our bikes, we discovered that my bike had a flat tire -- glass puncture. So we have had our first on-road repair (certainly not our last), probably because it was Friday the 13th! That day we cycled over a very difficult Loup-Loup Pass, probably our steepest overall climb. Because of that climb we only cycled 40 miles to Omak, where we camped in the local stampede grounds. We had a great meal in town at the Main Street Bar & Grill where Steve, Milo, and Jim were very friendly and helpful in giving us advice for the next day's cycling. We were even able to bring our bikes inside the restaurant for safekeeping. After dinner we provisioned at the local Safeway for 2 days worth of meals.
The next day (Saturday June 14) we deviated from our Adventure Cycling maps and headed across the Colville Indian Reservation. We changed the route because we wanted to avoid Sherman Pass to the north, which at 5575 feet would have been our highest climb. We had heard that it was very difficult, so we chose a southern route through the reservation. We had a beautiful ride along the Columbia River, with a few difficult but short climbs thrown in. We stopped at the Colville Indian Agency for lunch, eating our special pita bread sandwiches as tribal members came and went; that day were tribal elections. We had some interesting looks and some curious questions from the locals; I think to a person they thought we were nuts. A local tribal constable found out we were cycling along Bridge Creek Road and laughed. We found out later in the day why he was laughing. In the heat of the day we were trudging up steep (but thankfully short) roads -- Dave and I twice had to stop and walk our bikes up 10% grades to the top. We made it about 66 miles into the Kettle River mountains when we came across a clearing in the forest along the road with an outhouse and we said -- that's it. Dave could go no farther and we all agreed we should stop for the night. So we camped on the Indian reservation without permission, but no one bothered us. The next day we found out we had made a wise choice, because we had more serious climbing before finally descending 2500 feet at breakneck speed into the Columbia River gorge. We stopped for lunch at a town called Inchelium, along Lake FDR. It was a little hole in the wall gas station with a lunch counter with 5 seats. We ate fried food -- burritos, onion rings, whatever. It was delicious! We then proceeded to cycle up the Columbia River, stopped for a swim, and made it to Colville. We camped at the county fairgrounds and ate the best Mexican food we had ever tasted.
Yesterday (Monday June 16) was as beautiful a ride as the previous days were arduous. We had some climbing, but much of the ride was along the beautiful Pend Oreille River. We stayed at a deserted National Park Service campground right on the river; unfortunately, the mosquitos were bigger and nastier than those in Wisconsin. We ate pasta are went to bed early.
Today (Tuesday June 17) we had the most pleasant cycling day of our trip. We cycled 64 miles up the Pend Oreille river to Sandpoint, via Newport. In Newport we met Hughes "Crumps" Crumpler, USNA '65 for a Mexican lunch and had a nice visit. Thanks Crumps for the chance to meet you.
So that's the big update. Dave has some things to add, and Pat wants to get some photos on line. The Cants have some other USNA and cycling folks coming over to meet us, and we may even be featured in the local newspaper. So we are pleased with our progress, excited about the future, and having fun.
Bill Jenkins
Friday, June 13, 2008
Twisp, WA
Minutes after our last post we met a wonderful couple, Don and Earline Walley. We talked to them for a while and found out that Don is a retired teacher from Sedro-Woolley and Earline is a retired Nurse. Earline is battling lung cancer, we wish her the best of luck. They suggested that we go to a restaurant run by Tootsie Clark in Marblemount, WA. Tootsie opens the gate to Washington Pass by handing out free cinnamon rolls every year. We finished that day by staying in Colonial Campground at the base of Rainy pass. The wildlife there was very tame. A deer approached our campground and allowed us to get within 3m without startling. There was also a chipmunk who persistently attempted to steal Bill's chocolate covered espresso beans.
Yesterday we awoke early to attack Rainy Pass. This pass is 30 miles long and rises approximately a vertical mile. This took us about 5-6 hours of hard climbing. Along the way Doug and Sally, a couple who had seen our names in the guest book at New Halem found us partway up our climb. We found out that Doug is a 1973 Naval Academy Graduate, he graduated only 3 Years after Bill. We continued on our climb at a brisk pace of about 5mph and took in the beautiful views. When we finally reached Rainy Pass we met Nico from Belgium, who had just biked up the other side of the pass. Nico has a blog about his adventures in America at nicoceunen.blogspot.com. After Rainy Pass we had a 2 mile descent followed by a 4 mile climb up Washington Pass.
After summiting Washington Pass we had lunch at 3:00 in the afternoon and nearly coasted the next 40 miles or so at 20-30mph into Twisp. This coast was punctuated by a break to swim in the Methow River. This swim was more like a quick dunk in the glacial melt, and running out screaming like little girls, sort of. We were happy to have a great dinner last night after 75 miles of riding and our first pass. We got into the campsite about sundown and rejuvenated for today's pass.
If you would like to donate to the Livestrong Foundation please visit http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/cycleusaforhope.
--Patrick Henneghan
Yesterday we awoke early to attack Rainy Pass. This pass is 30 miles long and rises approximately a vertical mile. This took us about 5-6 hours of hard climbing. Along the way Doug and Sally, a couple who had seen our names in the guest book at New Halem found us partway up our climb. We found out that Doug is a 1973 Naval Academy Graduate, he graduated only 3 Years after Bill. We continued on our climb at a brisk pace of about 5mph and took in the beautiful views. When we finally reached Rainy Pass we met Nico from Belgium, who had just biked up the other side of the pass. Nico has a blog about his adventures in America at nicoceunen.blogspot.com. After Rainy Pass we had a 2 mile descent followed by a 4 mile climb up Washington Pass.
After summiting Washington Pass we had lunch at 3:00 in the afternoon and nearly coasted the next 40 miles or so at 20-30mph into Twisp. This coast was punctuated by a break to swim in the Methow River. This swim was more like a quick dunk in the glacial melt, and running out screaming like little girls, sort of. We were happy to have a great dinner last night after 75 miles of riding and our first pass. We got into the campsite about sundown and rejuvenated for today's pass.
If you would like to donate to the Livestrong Foundation please visit http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/cycleusaforhope.
--Patrick Henneghan
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Rockport, WA
Many thanks to Rob Mercer from Above All Roofing in Rockport for lending me this computer to make this entry.
Today was a great day. The guys from Skagit Cycle were great, helping us mail our BOB trailer back home and getting us set up with panniers. Me bike is much more stable and I am happy.
Our ride today took us inland over US 2o. We did some short climbs but ended up in
Rockport at about 300 feet. The weather was quite cool and cloudy, but otherwise very nice. The terrain is magnificent. Pat spotted an elk herd, so we stopped to look for a while. Our campsite is Beautiful, right on the Skagit river.
Tomorrow we start on some small doses of serious climbing. Thursday we will be going over
Rainy Pass and Washington Pass- over a mile of vertical climb over the course of the day. Wish us luck.
Dave Henneghan
Today was a great day. The guys from Skagit Cycle were great, helping us mail our BOB trailer back home and getting us set up with panniers. Me bike is much more stable and I am happy.
Our ride today took us inland over US 2o. We did some short climbs but ended up in
Rockport at about 300 feet. The weather was quite cool and cloudy, but otherwise very nice. The terrain is magnificent. Pat spotted an elk herd, so we stopped to look for a while. Our campsite is Beautiful, right on the Skagit river.
Tomorrow we start on some small doses of serious climbing. Thursday we will be going over
Rainy Pass and Washington Pass- over a mile of vertical climb over the course of the day. Wish us luck.
Dave Henneghan
Burlington
Well, yesterday was an interesting day. It was our first day riding. We started at Wil and Pam's house and rode North on Whidbey Island. About 20 miles into our ride, I learned the speed at which you can safely descend a hill with a BOB trailer. Sadly, I learned that the upper limit was about 5 MPH slower than I was traveling. Fortunately, I only destroyed my helmet, jersey, shorts, glasses,and ego. I have some road rash and a deep bruise on my left thigh. I will see how things go today.
The local weather forecasters are describing the current weather as "freaky". We rode through what they are saying are record winds (mostly crosswinds, but about 10 miles of headwinds), a hurricane (it felt like one anyway), and for them, record cold temperatures. Since we have been riding in Wisconsin though, none of this seemed terribly unusual. They are predicting snow in the cascades today and tomorrow, so we are going to slow our pace from our projected pace to wait out the snow.
On the upside, the scenery has been fabulous. The vegetation is very lush, and Deception Pass was beautiful.
See you soon.
Dave Henneghan
The local weather forecasters are describing the current weather as "freaky". We rode through what they are saying are record winds (mostly crosswinds, but about 10 miles of headwinds), a hurricane (it felt like one anyway), and for them, record cold temperatures. Since we have been riding in Wisconsin though, none of this seemed terribly unusual. They are predicting snow in the cascades today and tomorrow, so we are going to slow our pace from our projected pace to wait out the snow.
On the upside, the scenery has been fabulous. The vegetation is very lush, and Deception Pass was beautiful.
See you soon.
Dave Henneghan
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Whidbey Island (2)
My turn. This is Dave.
Wil and Pam have been unbelievable hosts. We have had a fantastic view of Puget Sound, great food, and wonderful company. We will be going out tonight for a seafood feast before we start riding for real tomorrow.
Thanks again to Zach and Kyle for helping us with the pictures. As Bill said, hopefully we will meet many more friendly people like them along the way. I was appopriately humbled on the short but extremely steep climb from the water back to Wil and Pam's house. We have a lot of work ahead of us in the Cascades.
Tomorrow we plan to ride to Sedro-Wooley, or somewhere in the vicinity. Hopefully we will find a computer and update the blog then.
--Dave Henneghan
Wil and Pam have been unbelievable hosts. We have had a fantastic view of Puget Sound, great food, and wonderful company. We will be going out tonight for a seafood feast before we start riding for real tomorrow.
Thanks again to Zach and Kyle for helping us with the pictures. As Bill said, hopefully we will meet many more friendly people like them along the way. I was appopriately humbled on the short but extremely steep climb from the water back to Wil and Pam's house. We have a lot of work ahead of us in the Cascades.
Tomorrow we plan to ride to Sedro-Wooley, or somewhere in the vicinity. Hopefully we will find a computer and update the blog then.
--Dave Henneghan
Whidbey Island
This is Bill writing this blog; Pat had to show this old guy how to do it. We are staying at the home of my Navy friends, Wil and Pam Shellenberger, on Whidbey Island, Washington. I have known the Shellenbergers since 1978 when Wil and I were stationed on USS Tripoli together. I was the Navigator and Wil was the Chief Engineer of the ship. The Shellenbergers have been very gracious in picking us at the airport and hosting us this weekend. They have a beautiful view of the Puget Sound and we can look out on the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Pacific Ocean.
We left Stevens Point yesterday (Saturday June 7) loaded into my van with my wife Teri and daughter Jillian. We said goodbye to Karen and Laura Henneghan and hit the road at 7:30 AM. We drove over to Minneapolis, where we stopped at REI for some last minute shopping before heading to the airport. At the airport I said goodbye to Teri and Jillian and away they drove, leaving us at the check-in counter. It was then that I realized that we were committed to this adventure.
Today (Sunday June 8) we assembled our bikes and loaded them up with all of our gear. We just returned from a test ride down to the bay, where we dipped our rear tires in the Pacific Ocean. With a little luck and effort, we should be dipping our front tires in the Atlantic Ocean in about 2 months. While by the water, we met Zach and Kyle of Whidbey Island who were kind enough to take photos of the three of us beginning our trip. Hopefully, the folks we meet along our route will be as friendly and helpful as Zach and Kyle were.
We plan to leave Whidbey Island tomorrow morning and start riding east. We will be crossing the Cascade Mountains within the first 3 days, so we will be challenged early on. The weather is cooperating; temperatures in the high 50's/low 60's and cloudy, so perfect for the type of riding we will be doing. We are ready to go and looking forward to the challenge.
--Bill Jenkins
We left Stevens Point yesterday (Saturday June 7) loaded into my van with my wife Teri and daughter Jillian. We said goodbye to Karen and Laura Henneghan and hit the road at 7:30 AM. We drove over to Minneapolis, where we stopped at REI for some last minute shopping before heading to the airport. At the airport I said goodbye to Teri and Jillian and away they drove, leaving us at the check-in counter. It was then that I realized that we were committed to this adventure.
Today (Sunday June 8) we assembled our bikes and loaded them up with all of our gear. We just returned from a test ride down to the bay, where we dipped our rear tires in the Pacific Ocean. With a little luck and effort, we should be dipping our front tires in the Atlantic Ocean in about 2 months. While by the water, we met Zach and Kyle of Whidbey Island who were kind enough to take photos of the three of us beginning our trip. Hopefully, the folks we meet along our route will be as friendly and helpful as Zach and Kyle were.
We plan to leave Whidbey Island tomorrow morning and start riding east. We will be crossing the Cascade Mountains within the first 3 days, so we will be challenged early on. The weather is cooperating; temperatures in the high 50's/low 60's and cloudy, so perfect for the type of riding we will be doing. We are ready to go and looking forward to the challenge.
--Bill Jenkins
Friday, June 6, 2008
Eve of our departure
Tomorrow morning we start traveling obscenely early, around 6:30. Many people have been asking "how do you feel?" and "are you excited?". The simple answer to this question is, Yes. But that does not fully describe our feelings.
"In long-range planning for a trip, I think that there is a private conviction that it won't happen. As the day approached, my warm bed and comfortable house grew increasingly desirable and my dear wife incalculably precious." -- John Steinbeck, Travels with Charlie
It hasn't really sunk in for me that we are leaving tomorrow. I don't believe that it will until Sunday when we start assembling our bikes which we shipped via UPS to a friend in WA, or maybe Monday when we start riding, or Wednesday when we gasp for breath while struggling up a mile vertical climb.
While we were preparing to leave on our trip, our friends and community members have shown great support in our undertaking. Many people have gone out of their way to help us, by shipping bikes, by raising and donating money for Livestrong, and offering us places to stay along our journey. Innumerable other people have come out and showed their support by wishing us luck and by showing interest in our undertaking. We appreciate the generosity and care that our friends have shown us and our cause, as of tonight we have raised $975 in the fight against cancer, and every dollar counts. If you wish to donate visit http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/cycleusaforhope.
We have been excited about this trip for the last two years. On our tour we will see many beautiful places, enjoy many beautiful days, and hopefully meet many amazing people. Having said that, with the good days come the bad. We will be biking in all weather; perfect days, sweltering heat, cold rain, and everything in between. Our trip will be physically strenuous and rewarding. It will have its highs and its lows. Undoubtedly there will be days where we would rather be home with our climate control, packaged food, easily available entertainment, familiar family and friends. We could easily decide not to go, but if we didn't take the risk, of challenging ourselves and depriving ourselves, we would always regret missing this opportunity. We are excited to experience America (and parts of Canada) in our own way, slowly and on two wheels. We look forward to the unfamiliar views stretching on the far horizons, the random acquaintances, and the unexpected. Hopefully through this site you will be able to accompany us on our journey.
--Patrick Henneghan
"In long-range planning for a trip, I think that there is a private conviction that it won't happen. As the day approached, my warm bed and comfortable house grew increasingly desirable and my dear wife incalculably precious." -- John Steinbeck, Travels with Charlie
It hasn't really sunk in for me that we are leaving tomorrow. I don't believe that it will until Sunday when we start assembling our bikes which we shipped via UPS to a friend in WA, or maybe Monday when we start riding, or Wednesday when we gasp for breath while struggling up a mile vertical climb.
While we were preparing to leave on our trip, our friends and community members have shown great support in our undertaking. Many people have gone out of their way to help us, by shipping bikes, by raising and donating money for Livestrong, and offering us places to stay along our journey. Innumerable other people have come out and showed their support by wishing us luck and by showing interest in our undertaking. We appreciate the generosity and care that our friends have shown us and our cause, as of tonight we have raised $975 in the fight against cancer, and every dollar counts. If you wish to donate visit http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/cycleusaforhope.
We have been excited about this trip for the last two years. On our tour we will see many beautiful places, enjoy many beautiful days, and hopefully meet many amazing people. Having said that, with the good days come the bad. We will be biking in all weather; perfect days, sweltering heat, cold rain, and everything in between. Our trip will be physically strenuous and rewarding. It will have its highs and its lows. Undoubtedly there will be days where we would rather be home with our climate control, packaged food, easily available entertainment, familiar family and friends. We could easily decide not to go, but if we didn't take the risk, of challenging ourselves and depriving ourselves, we would always regret missing this opportunity. We are excited to experience America (and parts of Canada) in our own way, slowly and on two wheels. We look forward to the unfamiliar views stretching on the far horizons, the random acquaintances, and the unexpected. Hopefully through this site you will be able to accompany us on our journey.
--Patrick Henneghan
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