Montanarama Wrap Up for Far West Adventure

BikerBuck and Mr. Nick were up early and on the Bitteroot Trail before the work day started in Missoula this morning.  We anticipated mid-day rain, which didn't happen, and logged 33 miles before lunch. Altogether a great ride on a seamless bikeway that stretches some 40+ miles alongside ranches, streams, farms, residences and small enterprises south of the Lolo Pass turn off. Road construction truncated 8 miles of the bikeway, shortening our route and giving us time for a leisurely exit from our final state in this the first mainland segment of the 50-50.

Sam Hall and Miss Kate were great fun to be with.

A barn with a view.

Bountiful valley, outstanding scenery.

It's a wrap for the first 11 mainland rides.

We are a full day ahead of schedule and staying tonight at the remarkable Riverside State Park in Spokane, WA. (Or as the Idaho panhandlers call it, "Spoke Angeles.") It truly was hectic at rush hour here this evening, but congestion turned to decompression when we selected our campsite.

That's the Spokane River in the background, running very high and fast.

Tomorrow we should make it easily to Vancouver and that will give us a full day Thursday to pack up, clean up and return Bigfoot, and find a handy airport hotel for our last evening in B.C.  Gettin' 'er done.

Rock Stars

In the comfort of the Bigfoot tonight, safely parked in front of Sam, Barbara and Kate Hall's house in Missoula, MT, BikerBuck is reflecting on the natural beauty of the Four Corners States of AZ, NM, CO and UT.  Those places are collectively unique in their incredible rock formations that are all similar yet distinct in each state.  Hard to describe - you sorta gotta be there - but for me these Southwest spreads share special bragging rights for their splendid firmament.  Rock on, neighbors.

 Arizona

New Mexico

Colorado

Utah

What's the point here, you ask? You've probably heard the adage that asserts the sculptor's true skill is the art of taking something away.  With chisel and abrasives he or she takes away the "excess" rock, revealing the beautiful object that was always there.  

So what we're pointing out here - in a blinding flash of the obvious - is that we are all surrounded by natural beauty every moment, wherever we are.  The magnificent rock formations in the Four Corner States represent the in-our-face examples and yes, it's an industry there.  But no spot on earth is without its own beautiful rock. Whether conspicuous like Diamond Head or subtle like a sand dune, nature's hard stuff is perpetually in sight and there to be pondered and admired.  

So BikerBuck is asking you to find a moment today to take a really hard look at your rocks. Take in the beauty that nature puts before you and just enjoy it.  Go on, do it.  It's not hard.

Beach Blanket Boise Bingo

We peeled out of Massacre Rocks State Park early Sunday morning and pulled into Bob and Sue Paris's driveway in Boise, ID just after lunch.  They were already suited up and ready to take us on a ride on the incredible Boise Greenbelt just minutes from their home.

What a bikers' dream...miles of beautifully maintained paved bikeways running beside both sides of the Boise River. The system connects residential areas with downtown, the state capitol, Boise State University, and historical sites.

Mr. Nick, Bob & Sue Paris, ready to ramble.

The bikeway runs through a public golf course, alongside toney townhomes, and beside picturesque Quinn's Pond in front of Bob and Sue's first apartment in Boise.

Bikeway vista

A major use of the Greenbelt is Boise State University's student traffic. The route passes by the entire campus, including its infamous football stadium.

 Smurf Turf!

But WHY? you might ask, has BikerBuck entitled this entry with a surf party theme? Well, the Buckster has just one word for you........

Urban Surfers

Mr. Nick and BikerBuck split off and blasted east towards Lucky Peak Reservoir and, after weathering a chilly downpour on the way back, clocked the full 50 km ride in the Gem State. We celebrated with our hosts at the Texas Roadhouse Cafe then turned to route planning for Memorial Day.  Next up: Montana. 

Wyoming Gets Straight A's

We said adios to Tex's early this morning and made tracks for Jackson, WY......when we were greeted by this sign in Alpine about 30 miles short of our destination:

That was the only glitch in what was otherwise a great morning and stunning drive up the Salt Creek Valley via Afton, Thayne, and Freedom. BikerBuck himself was agape at the valley's splendor.

At first we were just plain pissed that the WY ride was hooped. Then it hit us...why not just pull Buck's bike out of the RV and he can head down valley from right there in Alpine towards Afton which we could see from the map was about 32 miles away.  Nick would drive the RV to the end of the route, and bike up valley to intercept Buck and then turn around and finish together. Brilliant. And it worked just as planned - with Nick squeezing in time to do a bit of grocery shopping.

 Easy riding.

 At one ranch the Memorial Day Weekend spirit was in full furl...........

 We're quite sure there are 50 Old Glories in all.

The Salt Creek becomes a full fledged river at Thayne....

Riverfront sub-division.

We exited the valley of the A towns through the world's largest Elk horn arch.  Fo' real!

This evening we scored the last spot at Massacre Rocks Idaho State Park just west of American Falls.  In the morning we'll continue on to Boise and we plan to do our Idaho ride with Honolulu transplants Bob and Sue Paris Sunday afternoon.  At this point we're a day ahead of schedule and glad to have a little extra time in case the unseasonably cold weather has some surprises up its sleeve.

Utah Park 'n' Ride

Of all of Utah's National Parks, surely Arches is at the peak. "Park Avenue" is the opening act.

Yesterday we slipped out of Moab and drove 15 minutes to Arches National Park with the thought in mind of biking the entire 22 mile length of the road and back, leisurely taking in all the sites from our saddles.  Maybe for some. But we quickly found the route to be more steeply graded than we expected, and the heavy traffic on the shoulder-less roads to be a major distraction.  So we turned around at 8 miles out, came back to the trusty Bigfoot and experienced Arches the way it was intended. On four wheels.

Balancing acts like none other.

At one point you have to hike about 2 miles up a trail to see the bashful Delicate Arch.  The top of the trail reminds me of the summit of B.C.'s Mount Albert Edward.

 HikerBuck

 Delicate. Please do not touch.

We called it a day and peeled out for Green River, UT with only 25 km of Utah riding on the card.  Had a great rest at a State Camping Park.  Today we bolted 260 miles to Vernal, UT and another lovely park, the Dinosaur National Monument.  While Nick took in the excavation hike, BikerBuck rode the length of the road out and back for another 16 miles, hitting the mark for 50 km in Utah.

 My new best friend Dino!

So we've set the precedent now that mileage in any one state can be cumulative.  That may become even more important as we plan our routes for the next three states.  We're in Green River, Wyoming at Tex's Travel Camp tonight still searching the web for a proper ride in a place that does not have a flood alert or snow in the forecast.  There is one bike route in this town, it's about 2 miles long. I hope we don't have to settle for lapping it 16 times tomorrow to notch WY.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Wyoming's Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Titilating Telluride Is One Rocky Mountain High

Today's story starts with our arrival yesterday in Montrose, CO at the home of Mr. Nick's sister Barb Krebs and her husband Stu.  They built their eco-house over the past 20 years, using emerging techniques including dirt-packed used tires for walls. Just about every other "green home" technique is employed on their property from "humanure" gardening to a gaggle of milk producing goats.

If you want to talk eco-tech, you gotta take lessons from the Krebs.

 Thus it comes as no surprise that Nick's brother in law invented the recumbent bicycle, as this 30+ year old home built jewel will attest. All right, maybe he didn't technically "invent" the device, but we are certain that he rode it from Fr. Collins to Indianapolis for a meeting one time. We declined test drives. Barb and Stu were wonderful hosts and we were sad to leave this morning...

but we needed to get on our way to Placerville, CO to begin our ride up to the fabled town of Telluride.

Fifteen miles of CO145 leads up to the airport and the town of Telluride.  We enjoyed mild, sunny weather and drop dead gorgeous scenery.

The San Miguel River rushes alongside the road. 

 

The Keystone Valley surrounds Telluride.

 A film festival is in sway and tomorrow the gondola begins its free service to the mountain amenities.

Our round trip ride was precisely 50k, and included a challenging 4 km uphill grade en route to a total elevation gain of about 1,800 feet.  And what with the seasonally compressed construction and road building we shared the road with scores of large trucks and commercial vehicles.  But the folks we encountered in town were so nice and the vibe so refreshing that the whole ride felt perfect.

When we got back to the Bigfoot, we high tailed it to Moab, UT for a ride tomorrow and an extra night's rest. More to come.

Santa Fe Satisfies Small Town Historic Pride Seekers

The picturesque Plaza Square is the heartbeat of historic Santa Fe, and the destination for our New Mexico ride which began from our doorstep at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park.

First thing this morning our host at the "Skies" whipped out a huge map of the area and proudly pointed to several routes that would meet our criteria...except distance.  In the end he cobbled together the Arroyo de Los Chamisos Trail, the Rail Trail and a honeycomb of surface streets to get us out and back in 50k.  It worked.  Mind you the urban streets and thoroughfares are as tricky and stressful as any city's - complete with blocks of lane closures and major excavations - but the dedicated bike trails like the one above were first rate. Moreover, at every crossing of a surface street the automobiles  stopped and gave cyclists the right of way. No exceptions. No huhu. I think they invented "Share the Road" in Santa Fe!

Things that make you go "Huh?" in Santa Fe.

Anton Yelchin, Willem Dafoe, Addison Timlin and a whole bunch of Hollywood magic makers shooting scenes for Dean Koontz's "Odd Thomas" on location in Plaza Square.  The oddest thing? Almost no gapers.  Visitors were more interested in sightseeing, shopping and dining. Go figya.

Tomorrow is Hump Day for BikerBuck and Mr.Nick's 21 day adventure. Happily we've completed 6 rides with 5 more planned before we bid adieu to our Mobile Mansion in Vancouver on June 3. In the morning we head for Montrose, CO, followed by Moab, UT; Jackson, WY; Missoula, MT; Hiawatha Trail, ID; and back to YVR.  We've logged some 2500 miles so far, reckon this will be a 5,000 mile trip.  Oh, for the inner CPA in you, our diesel fuel has ranged from about $4.04 to $4.69 per gallon and we're getting about 13.5 mpg.

Pristine Prescott Dishes the Dirt

The new bridge over the Hoover Dam is sensational.

We fueled up on some tasty roadkill on the old Route 66.

Arizona's scenery is eye-candy of the finest sort.

 Our first non-paved ride turned out to be another beauty. Just minutes from the Point Rocks RV site, we set out at 7:30 for Lake Watson and the Peavine Trail, connected to the Iron King Trail, and finally to the Prescott Valley trail thanks to a helpful rider who showed us the way. A full 31 miler out and back, but the reward wasn't in the numbers, it was the beautiful setting and friendly walkers and bikers we encountered that make this ride so special. Oh, and the weather was unbelievable!

Peavine Trail overlooks Lake Watson

Retired oceanographer and former Hawaii resident, Ted Ryan is about to send his radio-controlled plane up for a spin. The 90 year old Ryan and sidekick Pierre the Poodle like to use the idle roadway at the end of Prescott's Iron King Trail for a runway.

Dr. Judy, another former Honoluluan, is an avid mountain biker and came to our aid when we needed to add 8 km to our route to hit the magic number. She took us to the end of the Prescott Valley trail that ends at a pretty little suburban lake.

The Iron King Trail is an R2T winner. Notwithstanding the rail car artifacts on display, we believe the trail was named for the intrepid Mr. Nick.

We hit the Jackpot with Lake Mead's River Mountains Loop Trail, our fourth ride in our first week.

Yesterday's drive from Arroyo Grande, CA to Boulder City, NV was picturesque - quaint one might say - and took all day. We entered the Lake Mead National Recreation Area around dusk and proceeded to the Lake Mead RV Village, a delightful place overlooking the lake and just minutes from Hoover Dam. The office was closed but a host couple showed us to a site and gave us a much-needed suggestion for a 31-mile ride. It's the River Mountains Loop Trail and goes right by the RV Village. It's touted as a 35 mile paved bikeway with an elevation gain of about 2,000 feet.

The bikeway is sublime and the vistas are beautiful.

Our route today was actually 38 miles, owing to our curiosity about the Lake Las Vegas resort that was adjacent to our road construction - caused detour.  So OK, I took the wrong trail and we got sort of lost. But at least we got a look at the resort that Brad and Betsy Jencks "babysat" for several months.

At all events the ride was terrific.  Great vistas, superb pathway, nicely adorned with colorful information posters that told of the geography, flora and fauna of the area, and a spiffy little rest area that was put in by the Water Utility. Yeah, well, there were those 8% grades on the back side that had our granny gears groaning…but nothing we couldn't handle.  And get this: we did the route counter-clockwise and were rewarded with a 9-mile downhill to wrap the ride.  Pure heaven. And the cool dry air took the teeth out of the 85º breeze.

The signage made the ride an educational experience.

 The desert landscape is gorgeous against the backdrop of Lake Mead. Our RV Village is on the shoreline, left side.

But for the remarkable Hoover Dam, no lake!

We decided to stay a second night here at the Village - going out now to find big steaks and beers. Planning an early departure tomorrow for Prescott, AZ.

California's Central Coast "Sideways" Wine Country is biking bounty.

We arrived at the home of Mac and Nancy McCandless in Arroyo Grande, CA on May 17 and were welcomed like royalty. Mac helped map out our ride up to Lopez Lake and Hi Mountain Road. We set out the next morning prepared for the unseasonable rain, predictable sun and afternoon wind. Our preparations were rewarded.

The Lairds and McCandlesses are long time friends, going back to Buck and Mac's U.S.Navy days aboard the USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDG 22).

Some might think of Lopez Lake as a miniature Tahoe, we found it very accessible, well run, and picturesque. Then we made a 5 mile out and back ride through the vineyards and estates nestled comfortably along the upper slopes. On the way back to Mac and Nancy's we took farm roads through the lower crop lands into the lovely village.  California has endless unique and beautiful places for a bike ride. Our ride gave us the perfect balance of beautiful scenery and gracious folks who are accomplished stewards of their abundant resources.

 Mi casa es su casa. OK, a bad case of California dreaming.

Today we drove to Boulder City, NV and found a great RV park at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Tomorrow we'll give the River Mountains Loop Trail a go, then check out the Hoover Dam.