Trip Report: San Francisco to Milwaukee - August 10 - 26, 2007

Ron Wallenfang
Trip Report - San Francisco to Milwaukee
August 10 - 26, 2007
2313 miles

Thursday, August 9, 2007 - Day -0-
I flew from Milwaukee to San Francisco on Thursday evening. There was
one notable incident even before I left Milwaukee, viz my sunscreen
was confiscated by airport security. (I had put my Swiss Army knife in
checked baggage, but didn't know sunscreen would also be a prohibited
carry-on item.)
Anyway, here's what I am bringing for the trip:
TREK 520 touring bike with a Topeak luggage rack and saddle bag
(slightly larger than the bag I've carried on previous trips; more
importantly, it slides into and out of a slot in the rack, so it's a
lot easier to put on and take off - no Velcro strips to thread and
fasten and worry about it rubbing against the back wheel; also no
problem with the bag leaning to one side.)

Flashing tail light and Cateye Opticube headlight
Reflector vest
3 water bottles

Two each of extra printed T-shirts, undershorts and socks
One extra pair of bermudas and one extra handkerchief
Sweatpants and sweatshirt
Shower shoes - very light - the only footwear beside my biking shoes
Sleeping shorts

4 extra tubes
4 CO2 cartridges
3 tire levers
Allyn wrenches
Pump
Tube repair patches

Hydrocortisone cream and Tylenol
Usual toiletries
Vitamins and prescription pills
Epi-pen (I had a big allergic reaction to a hornet sting last summer)

Sunglasses
Cell phone and charger
Camera
Maps
Super 8 national directory
Miscellaneous motel and church information
Daily Missal (in French)
Mystery Novel (in Swedish---have to keep up with my languages)
Log Book and pens

The plane (leaving at 7:30 p.m.) was on time into Denver and about 5
minutes late into SF, arriving at 11:25 p.m. PDT. But it took almost
an hour to get my baggage, since the bike is "oversized baggage",
which the airline delivers separately - and much later in this case.
So it was almost 1 a.m. when I reached the motel (a Super 8 on Lombard
Street.) I put the bike together with no great difficulty and only a
couple misadventures. E.g., I placed a brake cable on the wrong side
of the handlebars, and had to redo it; later I had a washer left over
and had to find where it belonged (on a screw holding in the carrier
rack). We'll see tomorrow how well I really did. The big problem I
had in 2004 (overtightening the front fork) which motivated me to ship
the bike ahead of time to a bike shop before my 2005 and 2006 rides,
shouldn't happen as that bolt was never disassembled. Anyway after a
short test ride, it was 2:00 in the morning by the time I went to
bed.

Friday, August 10, 2007 (Day 1)
Got up at 5:00 a.m. after just 3 hours of sleep--did my "exercises",
shaved, showered and am ready to go at first light.
Leaving at 5:45 a.m., (sun-up around 6:20 a.m.) I found my way to and
across the Golden Gate Bridge and was on my way. Coming out of San
Francisco to the north was a problem. The traffic wasn't so bad but
the route was discontinuous. If I didn't have good bike maps of Marin
and Sonoma counties, I'd really have gotten lost. The front fork was
a little loose, so the handle bars kept misaligning with the front
wheel. I stopped four times to tighten it, a little at a time after
my overtightening incident in 2004. It seems okay. I rode generally
North for 45 miles to Petaluma (10 minute stop there), then swung
irregularly to the east going through Sonoma and then Napa, where I
stopped for lunch at noon. I took one vineyard photo as a memento of
Napa Valley. Plenty of hills--some steep, some long, but so far not
real high. The road to Petaluma was either urban or wasteland; east
of there it's been grapes, some cattle and some barren hills.
Bought sunscreen in Napa and am putting it on. Temperature was 55 F at
the start--didn't warm much until I turned inland. Probably in the
upper 70's in Napa and rising. Wind was light NW--neutral so far.
After lunch in Napa, I set out on Rt. 121/128 to Davis (50 miles),
knowing it would be hilly, but unprepared for the extent of it. It
was awful, especially for this mid-westerner--several hills were both
long and steep--including two that I couldn't climb in one "bite", as I
started getting leg cramps. To make matters worse, it got hot -
perhaps low 90's - which added to the problem. I emptied the two
water bottles I had filled and stopped at a little store along the way
(the only one for miles) and guzzled down 2 quarts of Power Ade.
After about 30 miles, the road gradually flattened as I entered the
Sacramento Valley. It was dead flat by a few miles before Winters. I
stopped to eat something in Davis and called and cancelled my room
reservation in Grass Valley, the mileage to which I had
miscalculated. I had already gone 120 miles to Davis and was far, far
short of Grass Valley, and it was already 6:00 p.m. After 10 more
miles on Road 102, which I had picked up in Davis, after riding Route
128, I saw motels at the Route 5 intersection in Woodland and decided
to stop there, with 131 miles for the day, after a little local riding
to get food.
131 miles for the day--all in California.
Winds light and variable--call it neutral.

Saturday, August 11, 2007 - Day 2
During the night, my front tire went flat. I had just bought and put
on two Schwalbe Marathon-Plus tires with extra protection--my latest
effort to control flats--but a thorny seed penetrated a bit to the
side, where the extra tire thickness was absent. After changing the
tube, and after a breakfast in the hotel lobby of an orange, a Danish
roll and some bacon, I left at 5:50 (sun up around 6:20) and rode 73
miles before stopping for lunch at 12:15 p.m. at Grass Valley/Nevada
City. The first 35 plus miles I made good time going north on the
flat roads of the Sacramento Valley. It's a big food producing area --
peaches, plums, tomatoes, sunflowers, hay, alfalfa, pecans (I think).
I stopped to take a picture of some tall, skinny, pointy trees that
are common in these parts. Wind is negligible; temperatures started
out perhaps around 60. Route: Road 102, then Cal 113 and then Cal
99). At Yuba City/Marysville, I turned east on Cal 20. The Sierras
soon came into view, and within 8-10 more miles, I was in them. So it
was good-bye to the easy miles I was getting the first 2 plus hours.
Grass Valley is at Elev. 2420; the Sacramento valley is under 100 ft.
But there was a lot more climbing than 2400 feet, as there was a lot
of downhill on this route, too, that had to be "recovered." I made it
up all the hills, stopping briefly at the tops of three of them for
short rests, and to drink water, and put on sunscreen. The climbing
has taken a toll physically, and I'm taking a longer noon break than
usual to try to recuperate a bit before what promises to be a very
difficult road ahead into the 'real' Sierras. I don't know where the
valley is in Grass Valley - nothing but hills. Same with Nevada City.
I started again after an hour break, taking business 20/49 through
Nevada City, which I wanted to look at because I was born there in
1943. But within a few weeks of my birth, my dad shipped out to the
Pacific, and my mother and I and grandfather (who took the train out
from northern Wisconsin, only to turn right around and accompany us
back) headed back "home". The family stopped in Nevada City for about
an hour during a trip in 1960. Other than that, this is the first
I've seen the place. I was discouraged by the incessant hills from
looking around too much. That would be a big downside to living here,
though I did see a prosperous looking bike shop - some people must
enjoy riding here, hills and all. I took one picture of the old-
fashioned looking downtown. This is an old mining area; not
surprisingly, Grass Valley had a pasty shop. Pasties are meat and
potato pies - sometimes with rutabaga - that are popular in many
mining areas. The town in WI where I grew up was near an old mining
area, and pasties are still popular. So it was interesting to see
them in another place.
Coming out of Nevada City on Cal. 20, I climbed a 5 mile hill, gearing
way down to 1-4 (the granny front gear and a medium rear gear) and
going about 5 mph, so it took about an hour. At the top was a store
and tavern. I bought a quart of Gator-aid, and drank it while seated
at a table outside with shade and a light breeze, and live music to
enjoy coming from the tavern across the road. The temperature is
pleasant, perhaps because of the elevation.
A bad sign: I have seen only 1 other bike rider east of Nevada City,
and only a couple local riders to the west, and I was to see no
through bikers all day - obviously this isn't a popular route for long
distance bicycle riders.
22 more miles on Cal. 20 - all up and down - and I finally reached
I-80. Along that way, I took two short roadside stops, there being no
more stores or other facilities. It was National Forest land,
including a lot of sequoias, although not giant ones. Soon after I
reached I-80, I stopped briefly at a gas station. The owner's 11 or
so year old son wanted to try out my bike but I declined, because with
all the weight on the back end, the handling is clumsy for someone
unfamiliar with it. After that short break, I finished my uphill trek
to the Donner Summit, whose sign said the elev. was 7227 ft. The last
three miles before the summit, the shoulder lane was closed and
separated from the travel lane by concrete barriers. Not wishing to
try to "take the lane" on a busy interstate, I took the shoulder,
which was bikeable, though frequently no more than moderately packed
dirt.
By this time, with all the climbing, I was bitching and moaning to
myself why I didn't just start the trip in Reno or Salt Lake City or
something, because I'd never make all these climbs etc. But when I
reached the summit, the attitude quickly changed to "I'm glad I did
this!"
Coming down to Truckee was no work, but not much fun either. I'm a
bit of a coward on steep downhills, especially with curves, and rode
the brakes quite a bit, which got hot. Plus when you're not working,
you quickly get a little bit chilled in the cool mountain air.
Reaching Truckee near nightfall, I had a rude surprise awaiting me.
(I had earlier cancelled motel reservation at Fernley, NV - 65 miles
ahead - since I had badly overestimated my likely progress.) Anyway,
at the first motel in Truckee, I was told that absolutely every room
was booked to and through Reno this weekend - antique auto rallies,
mainly, and in fact I had seen many antiques during the day. So I
resigned myself to a night outside, and headed downtown to find a park
or something, and also the Church to get to Mass in the morning.
Going by the Hotel Truckee, an old (19th century) place downtown, I
inquired and darned if they didn't have a room. So I had a bed after
all!
I bought some things to eat in the room and fell asleep as soon as I
had finished my cheese and sausage, leaving 1/2 my bottle of wine
unfinished. I was not deterred from sleeping by a loud band playing
across the street, nor by frequent trains going through. I do believe
today was the most climbing I have ever done in a single day.
Mileage for day: 130
Mileage for trip: 261, all in CA
Wind: neutral

Sunday, August 12, 2007 - Day 3
This was a much better day, mainly for being rid of the climbs for the
moment. I started later, quit earlier and got about the same mileage.
I went to 8:00 a.m. Mass in Truckee, and was on the road at 9:00
a.m., riding 40 miles before stopping for lunch at the east end of
Sparks, NV. I reached the Nevada line after 18 miles of mostly
downhill riding, with a few short uphills sprinkled along the way.
Bicycles had to exit I-80 in Reno from Exit 8 to Exits 20-21. For
several miles, I rode with a biker I encountered who had lived in
Green Bay most of his life, so we visited about the Packers and other
subjects. He told me the Packers won their exhibition game last
night; I had almost forgotten they played. It's amazing how a bike
trip gets you out of touch with sports and politics, which seem so
important in daily life but on a bike trip drop almost completely off
the map, especially politics. Going through downtown Reno, I crossed
the route of a parade featuring the antique autos that I've been
seeing a lot of the last two days. My stop was from 11:30 - 12:00;
then I biked 29 miles to Fernley and stopped again from 1:45 - 2:15.
The hills in this part of NV have much less vegetation than the
Sierras in CA. The main water source appears to be the Truckee River,
which flows from the Sierras through Reno to Fernley, and then NNW to
Pyramid Lake. I-80 mostly follows the river to Fernley, then veers
NNE toward Lovelock. So from the state line to Fernley, there is a
ribbon of green surrounded by brown, after which desert takes over.
North of Fernley, there is some vegetation in low spots where
presumably there is water after the infrequent rains. Otherwise it's
very bleak, sporting little but dry sagebrush.
There were no roadside services at all on the 57 mile stretch from
Fernley to Lovelock; indeed, there was no resident population at all
that I recall seeing, though there was a little activity - perhaps
mining - some miles north of Fernley. So I rode that stretch pretty
much non-stop, emptying my three water bottles to stay hydrated. The
temperatures had started out in the 60s in the morning and reached
probably the low 90s north of Fernley.
I reached Lovelock around 6:00 p.m. and found a goodly number of
motels for a town of 2500. Since tonight is laundry night (every
third night), I asked about laundry facilities at the first motel in
town and was directed to the casino hotel, which is where I stayed. I
didn't think gambling odds applied to the money slots for buying soap
in the laundry room, but lost my money for no soap the two times I
tried. Fortunately, the front desk came through with some soap and a
refund, so I did my laundry and have clean clothes for the next three
days.
Cell phone service from Lovelock was marginal. My nightly report to
daughter Anne in NY was on a poor connection, and I was unable to
reach my wife, Mary Ann, at all, though I did leave a message on her
sister's cell phone. (She and two of her sisters are taking an auto
trip from WI to and around the S.D. Black Hills.)
Mileage for day: 128 (110 in NV)
Mileage for trip 389 (279 in CA)
Winds light and mostly southerly, giving some help north of Fernley.
Thus it was a net tailwind.

Monday, August 13, 2007 - Day 4
Today's bottom line was that the mileage was good - 178 miles,
I left the motel at 5:30 a.m. (sun-up a little after 6:00) and rode 70
miles in 5 hours to Winnemucca, with no stops other than to drink
water and take a picture. The temperature started out cool - maybe 60
F with low areas perhaps as cool as 50 F. But it warmed steadily and
was getting hot by the time I left Winnemucca at 11:10. A clock there
said 85 F. This stretch was a better watered desert than yesterday
south of Lovelock. The sagebrush was thicker and greener. There was
even some grass in places (albeit mostly dry) and small herds of
cattle were grazing. I tried to get a picture of 2 cows - one with
long horns - that were looking me over while I made a brief stop, but
they ran off. There was a modest reservoir to the north of I-80, and
some irrigated farms and residences along the way, and even some birds
and bugs, which were conspicuously absent yesterday.
After my Winnemucca stop, I rode 56 miles to Battle Mountain arriving
at about 3:00 p.m. It was plenty hot. I stopped to drink all my
water bottles on the way. On that stretch, there was about an 800
foot climb, which I did at 7-8 mph, so it wasn't nearly as bad as the
Sierras. After the stop in Battle Mountain, I saw a clock that said
it was 105 F. I don't think it was that hot, though it was plenty
hot. I decided to go on to Carlin, since I so far hadn't had a
problem handling the heat, and it was already 3:40, presumably at or
past the peak temperature for the day.
I did in fact make Carlin, another 52 miles ahead - arriving at about
7:30. There was one service opportunity along the way, which was a
highway dept. rest area with water at the base of the biggest climb of
the day. That was Emigrant pass at elev. 6100, starting the climb at
elev. 4500. I did go 5 mph for a short stretch, but mostly 7-8 mph on
that climb.
A motorist stranded with a dead battery (help had been called) had
passed me about 50 or so miles earlier and asked about my trip. From
Emigrant Pass, there was 10 miles of almost continuous downhill to
Carlin, where I'm staying in a Comfort Inn, and eating pizza that I
had delivered to the room. No wine tonight.
Mileage for day: 178, all in NV
Mileage for trip: 567 (279 in CA; 288 in NV)
Wind: None to speak of. Call it neutral.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - Day 5
I left the motel in twilight about 5:45 a.m. and rode 72 miles to
Wells, passing through Elko, the largest town in the area, without
stopping, as it was only 22 miles from where I started in Carlin.
Since traffic was light, I felt safe going through rather than around
the I-80 Carlin tunnel, which has about a 4 ft. wide shoulder "lane".
The apparent low temperature was 56 F in Elko, perhaps cooler in low
spots, but warming rapidly to the point of being uncomfortable in
Wells, where I stopped at 11:00 to eat.
The topography was like yesterday - dry but not as arid as south of
Lovelock, or as it would become when I approached Wendover later in
the day. One mountain range actually had a north-facing green slope,
and in places there were Mesquite and other trees growing, and not
just sagebrush, some grasses and misc. other dry weather shrubs.
Irrigated farms here and there added some green, but nobody will
confuse the countryside here with the eastern US.
After stopping from 11:00 to 11:45, I headed for Wendover (West
Wendover actually), which was about 60 miles ahead and located on the
NV-Utah border. This stretch had no services at all and the longest
climb since the Donner Summit, viz the Pequop Summit at 6867 ft. I
ascended it at various speeds ranging from 5 - 10 mph, depending on
the steepness, which varied. There was a rest area - toilet, no water
- at the top of the summit, and a couple stopped there took my
picture. They were traveling from Berkeley to CO for a wedding. They
had a chest full of ice, and gave me some to cool off my bottle of
Power-Ade which I drank there.
From Pequop Summit, the road descended about 1500 ft., followed by a
secondary climb back to 6000 ft, then a descent to the 4200 ft or so
level of the salt flats that start around Wendover. As I descended
out of the hills, the temperature increased rapidly, reaching 104 F at
Wendover, which is the hottest I've ever biked in. Fortunately, that
was only for the last hour or so of the ride. With no chance to get
across the salt flats in daylight, I quit at 4:45 PDT (5:45 local
time, as the time zone changes here to MDT.)
So I've got an opportunity to get a little extra rest tonight. TWC is
predicting a high in Salt Lake City (tomorrow's destination) of 99 F
with a possible passing thundershower. There's been no sign of rain
so far on this trip.
Mileage for day: 133, all in NV
Mileage for trip: 700
Wind: light and variable - call it neutral

Wednesday, August 15, 2007 - Day 6
The low temperature was in the 70s, but that sure beats 100, so I left
at 6:05 at first light.
The first 99 miles of today's ride had exactly one gas station and no
other services available. That was at milepost 70 - or 70 miles into
UT, which I entered just a mile into the ride. The first 41 miles
were salt flats - dead flat, dead straight and dead surroundings.
After that, the land looked like the worst of Nevada - dry sage brush
and mostly barren hills. The area was almost totally uninhabited.
The temperature rose steadily until it was well into the 90s. An
anecdote: before I realized some slight upgrades had reappeared after
mile 41, I wondered why my speed was substandard. Was I "losing it"?
It turned out I was on a steady though modest upgrade.
I stopped at the mile 70 gas station from about 11:30 - 12:00, then
again at mile 99, which is just outside the west end of metro SLC, and
had many services available. On the way there, a passing shower
missed me but helped cool down early afternoon temperatures. My stop
at mile 99 was from 2:00 to 2:30; then at mile 102, I left the
Interstate to go into SLC on Route 201, followed by miscellaneous
local streets.
I was checked into a motel room near downtown by 4:30 and had time to
do my laundry before catching the 6:00 p.m. Holy Day Mass at the
Cathedral (whose street address interestingly is on E. Temple St.,
meaning the Mormon Temple - you don't escape that influence in Utah!)
It was a solemn service, with sung Latin hymns, a beautiful
procession, etc. It took over an hour even with a sermon limited to
about 2 minutes. It was very impressive to one of my mentality and a
definite highlight of the trip.
After that I made my usual family phone calls - one to my wife and the
other to daughter Anne, who helped plan the route ahead. Then I went
out for a sit down dinner, of which I've had not enough on this trip
Mileage for day: 129 (NV 1; UT 128)
Mileage for trip: 829 (CA 279, NV 422, UT 128)
Net headwind

Thursday, August 16, 2007 - Day 7
I knew I had to climb some 2600 ft. from SLC to a 6800 ft high point
on I-80 near the WY border. My plan was to get on I-80 at the last
entry ramp before its climb up Parley's Canyon, so I went a few extra
miles to get there or at least to what I thought (and think) was the
right place and found it closed to bicycles. There were a lot of bike
riders out - even in the foothills to the Wasatch range, so I asked
for advice, and was told to go north to Emigration Canyon road, the
route used by the first Mormon settlers, before they realized that
Parley's Creek - the route now used by I-80 - was better. He said I
could either take it up for several miles and then cut over to I-80 or
continue north for 30 or so miles, entering I-84 at Henefer, as he had
done many times. (Before the ride, an e-mail correspondent had made
the same suggestion.)
I made my way back north and found Emigration Canyon Road, which I
took to the apparent summit. It was hard work but I made it. Then I
went downhill several hundred feet, and caught sight of I-80, which
was quite a few hundred feet lower. So I decided the best thing to do
was to take Route 65 (East Canyon Rd.) to Henefer, supposedly to
reduce climbing. What I didn't realize is that there was a big climb
ahead to far over the 6800 ft. elevation I'd have encountered on
I-80. Perhaps I should have been suspicious because of the quick near-
disappearance of other bicycle traffic. I'm not sure how high it got
because there was no sign on top reporting the elevation. But the
surrounding peaks were about 9000 ft., and I'd be surprised if they
were more than 1000 ft. higher than the pass. Perhaps some
knowledgeable reader can confirm (or more likely deflate) this guess.
Certainly, it seems very high when you're climbing it. Resting at the
top, I saw a lone biker inching his way around the last few turns. He
made it and received my congratulations.
Anyway, I had to walk the bike a good part of the way. After
departing again, I encountered quite a bit of downhill, some small ups
and downs, and then another very sharp though shorter climb near
Henefer. I eventually reached I-80 at elev. 5400 ft, and still
needed to climb back to 6800+ ft. before reaching Wyoming.
All this climbing was not good for my mileage. After 4 hours of
effort, I had only 29 miles for the day, and a scant 55 miles as of 1
p.m., when I stopped for lunch at Echo. The restaurant operator there
was an old gent who had an amazing knowledge of local and regional
geography. He was accurate about the things I knew, which gave him an
aura of accuracy about everything else as well.
Returning to I-80, I hit the Wyoming line about 3:40 p.m., with 85
miles for the day (213 total miles in UT), and I reached Evanston, WY
at 4:20. Seeing no chance to get to the next town with a motel, I
quit there, with 92 miles for the day, including a little local
riding. Besides my problems with the climbs, a late headwind had come
up, and while it wasn't serious, it was at best inopportune. I had
hoped to get another 60 miles, to Little America. (the name of a
motel chain located there and other places, but this particular one
got that name on the map, as if it were a town.) It rained after I
stopped, but I wasn't affected.
Unfortunately, the short mileage today will also cause short mileage
days tomorrow and Saturday, due to limited lodging availability
throughout much of Wyoming, where the towns are far apart. (It's our
least populous and, after Alaska, our second least densely populated
state.)
Wyoming is the 47th state in which I have biked. Though my mileage
fell short of plans, I prefer to see the glass as half-full. I got up
and past some major climbs, and really am past the worst of the
climbing for this trip. Not too bad for a dubious climber like me.
Mileage for day: 92 (85 UT; 7 WY)
Mileage for trip: 921
Net headwind

Friday, August 17, 2007 - Day 8
I left the motel at 6:00 and rode 63 miles non-stop to Little America,
arriving at 10:30. There was rain off and on the first 30 miles,
which makes the first time I've gotten rather wet on this trip, though
I was mostly dry again by the time I stopped.
Also, in the first 20 miles, there were three pretty steep climbs, for
which I geared down to 1-4, my "standard" for bad climbs on this
trip. This confirmed what the old guy at the restaurant in Echo had
said, that there were 3 early hills on I-80 in WY. After that, there
was some flat ground and some intermediate rises, which could be long
but weren't steep. I had a slight tailwind most of the time.
There are few trees in this part of WY. It's mostly rough pasture
land, with grass in the low spots and a lot of sagebrush. The
surrounding countryside features buttes instead of mountains, a change
from the mountain ranges that characterized the previous states.
Little America is a nice resort, sitting in the middle of nowhere,
especially conspicuous because it sits among some acres of trees. Its
name is on the map as a place name, as if it were a town, perhaps
because there is no town nearby - not a single building! Besides the
motel, Little America had an in-house restaurant and a gas station. I
had a nice sit-down breakfast in the restaurant.
I left Little America about 11:20 and was making good time, figuring
to arrive in Rock Springs at 1:45 or so, when I had a flat tire just
before arriving in Green River. A small wire had worked its way
through the extra tire thickness and punctured the tube. I broke the
wire trying to remove it and had great difficulty removing the
embedded portion that threatened to damage the replacement tube,
finally getting it out with the tweezers from my Swiss Army knife.
Needing more CO2 cartridges and another replacement tube, I rode into
Green River to find a bike shop (which turned out to be in Rock
Springs - 15 or so miles ahead), and continued on toward Rock Springs,
the day's destination, including a passage through my second and last
tunnel on this trip. Construction on I-80 intervened near Rock
Springs, the first exit to which was closed, and I had to walk the
bike 1/2 mile to get off there. Apparently there was an open exit
further ahead, but with the lanes narrowed by construction, I wanted
to get off the Interstate ASAP. I finally checked into a motel about
3:20, "unpacked", and biked 2 1/2 miles to the bike shop, where I bought
the tubes and CO2 cartridges I needed and had the pressure checked in
the tires - the CO2 cartridge had put in enough air, 70 psi. The
repairman/clerk also gave me directions for avoiding freeway
construction when leaving town tomorrow morning. We also talked about
avoiding flats. He had a cutaway section of the kind of Schwalbe tire
I'm using, obtained per the request of a customer of his who was also
trying to limit flats and had heard about this European tire, which is
not widely sold in the US. But his customer had also had a flat!
Nothing works perfectly! However, this day's flat proved to be the
second and last I would have on this trip.
I got caught in a thunderstorm on the way back to the motel, and
ducked into a supermarket en route, where I got food and wine for
supper in the room. Afterward I had time to read 21 pages of my
Swedish mystery novel.
Temperature range today was about 60-80 F. The elevation at Rock
Springs is 6300 ft.
Mileage for day: 105 (all in WY)
Mileage for trip: 1026 (WY112)
Net tailwind

Saturday, August 18, 2007 - Day 9
I left the motel at 6:00 a.m. and biked 70 miles to Wamsutter, where I
stopped for a fried chicken lunch between 11:10 and 11:50.
The elevation was high - consistently over 6000 ft., with long but not
very steep ups and downs. A brisk SW wind was more helpful than not.
About 50 miles out, I crossed the Continental Divide at 6930 elev.
(600+ ft. higher than Rock Springs and 200+ ft. higher than Rawlins,
the endpoint of today's ride.) The "divide" was between the Pacific
and the Great Basin. Another Continental Divide half a dozen miles
from Rawlins is at 7000 ft. That one divides east flowing streams
from the Great Basin. And tomorrow, I'll pass back in and out of the
Great Basin on my way to Casper.
With the favorable wind as well as fewer hills as I moved east, I made
good time and reached Rawlins (109 miles out) by 2:30. I'm staying
here to get to Mass this afternoon. And in any event, there are no
motels on my route until Casper, which is over 100 miles to the north.
In Rawlins, I bought some soda, checked into a motel, found the church
on a local map, did my laundry, and worked on route and destination
goals for the coming days, to see if I can finish on time. I'm
currently behind schedule because of the three consecutive low mileage
days.
I leave I-80, which I've been riding ever since eastern CA, except for
Reno and SLC, for good at this point, heading north on Rt. 287, then
220 to Casper, after which I'll turn east on US 20. The temperature
today started out at a cool 55 F and never did get hot - probably no
more than the mid-70s. There were showers in the vicinity but I
stayed dry.
I left the motel at 4:45, found a nice restaurant and made a
reservation, went to Mass, returned to the restaurant to eat, and was
back to the motel about 7:30, doing 5 miles of local riding.
Mileage for day: 114 (WY 226)
Mileage for trip: 1140
Net tailwind

Sunday, August 19, 2007 - Day 10
I let the motel at 5:55 a.m., and rode 64 miles to Independence Rock,
arriving before 10:00 a.m. My speed was enhanced by a brisk
tailwind. I crossed the Continental Divide twice - into and out of
the Great Basin. One crossing was at 7174 ft, almost as high as the
Donner Summit in CA.
There is no town at Independence Rock but there is a highway
department rest stop. I visited briefly with a few people and had my
picture taken. Independence Rock was a marker on several 19th Century
migration routes - the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, and the
California Trail, as well as of the Pony Express.
After that break, I continued on to Casper, arriving about 2:00 p.m.
with 112 miles for the day, and the temperature up to 90 F. There was
more climbing after Independence Rock; in fact it was up and down for
the rest of the day, but more downhill as my elevation this day
dropped from 6700 ft. to 5000 ft.
After a break in Casper, I continued on to Douglas, making one brief
stop en route, arriving at 6:00, p.m., with 169 miles for the day. I
could have gone further, but was unable, via a phone call to my
daughter, who searched the internet, to locate any accommodations on
the road ahead, at least not short of Lusk, which was too far ahead.
(And in fact the next day there proved to be none.) So I stayed the
night in Douglas.
Much of the route today was in the general vicinity of the North
Platte River. There were irrigated fields around Casper, including
one corn field - the first corn I've seen since the Sacramento
Valley. I also saw many antelope, especially on the road up from
Rawlins, and then a "zillion" prairie dogs around Casper.
Mileage for day: 169 (WY 395)
Mileage for trip: 1309
Net tailwind

Monday, August 20, 2007 - Day11
I left the motel at 5:55 a.m. and with another nice tailwind, reached
Lusk - 56 miles out - at 9:10 a.m. I stayed on US 20 all day - in
fact ever since Casper. This route coincided with I-25 the first 9
miles out of Douglas, which was the last of my Interstate road riding
on this trip.
Along the way, I took a picture of a passing Union Pacific train to
memorialize that I have been seeing its trains always and everywhere
on this trip - coal trains, trailer trains and miscellaneous freight.
If Union Pacific isn't making a lot of money, it isn't for lack of
traffic! The train I photographed was going very slowly up a low
hill, and when I got going again, I passed it, which was a unique
event.
After a 25 minute stop in Lusk, I resumed riding at 9:35 and reached
the Nebraska line at 10:50 with 78 miles for the day (473 total in
Wyoming.) With a continuing tail wind , I hit 100 miles for the day
at 12:15 (the earliest on this trip), in spite of having to bump my
way over repeated annoying "drain cuts" in the shoulder, which had
been cut to provide interim drainage for a 17 mile long resurfacing
project.
I stopped in Crawford from 1:00 to 1:25 with 113 miles for the day and
again in Chadron (the largest city in this part of Nebraska with about
4000 people and a college) from 3:00 to 3:30 with 138 miles. After
that, my tailwind abandoned me, but I still made 186 miles for the day
before stopping around 7:20 in Gordon. This was to be my highest
mileage day on this trip.
Nebraska may be the "Cornhusker" state, but coming in from the west, I
didn't see a single cornfield until milepost 76. As states are
classified, I have now technically reached the "Midwest", but it would
be two more days before the countryside "greened up". The land is
mostly bare or pastureland with some irrigation. There were plenty of
small hills but nothing big.
Mileage for day: 186 (78 WY; 108 NEB)
Mileage for trip: 1495
Net tailwind

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - Day 12
I left the motel at 5:30 and biked 49 miles to Martin, S.D., where I
stopped for breakfast around 8:55. I had hit the South Dakota line
around 8:00 a.m., 37 miles out, and stopped to take a picture. It was
significant to me because South Dakota marks the 48th and last of the
48 contiguous states in which I've bicycled - just Alaska and Hawaii
to go!
Conditions are clear and started out cool - in the upper 50s, but
warmed well into the 70s. The part of Nebraska I was riding through
was called the Sandhill region, and there were plenty of such hills.
There were a lot of beef cattle pasturing, a lot of hay to be cut and
a few planted fields.
My route was US 20 to the northeast to Merriman, then Neb 61/SD 73
north to Martin, then US 18 toward the east for the rest of the day,
which ended at Winner, SD. The area on either side of Martin was
fairly flat, but through the next county, Todd County (Sioux Indian
country), the land got very hilly and the road very curvy. To add to
that, the wind shifted to NNE during the day, and that also had to be
combated.
I made a mid-afternoon stop in Mission - a small town that was almost
all Indian - and eventually reached Winner around 6:40 p.m. CDT, there
having been a time zone change en route.
I encountered a feeding donkey along the way that was practically in
the roadway, but when I tried to take his picture he ran away. Road
construction in Winner was a slight problem. After Winner, I will
switch routes from US 18 to S.D. Rte. 44, and found a motel just at
the beginning of that route.
Mileage for day: 154 (37 Neb., for a total of 145; 117 SD)
Mileage for trip: 1649
Wind neutral: good early, bad late.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - Day 13
I left the motel at 6:15 and rode 53 miles to Platte, arriving at
10:30, where I stopped for breakfast. The hills on Route 44 west of
the Missouri River (which I crossed at 38 miles out) were as bad as or
worse than anything since the Wasatch. I had to gear down to 1-4 for
two of them, which is the gearing I used on the bad climbs in CA and
UT. Perhaps those hills are why US 18 veers to the south. I took a
picture of the river crossing; the bridge was closed to trucks over 12
ft. wide. In addition, one lane of the bridge was closed to traffic,
which people presumably know, so the traffic there was very light.
After the bridge crossing, there was one long climb out of the river
valley, after which the hills moderated markedly. Recent record or
near record rains from here all the way to Wisconsin have made the
countryside lush green, and also brought out a bumper crop of
mosquitoes, as I learn whenever I stop.
Coming into Platte, I could hear the auctioneer's barking at a cattle
exchange I passed, with a continuous flow of cattle trucks going in.
I ate breakfast at the restaurant there.
From Platte, I rode another 43 miles to Parkston, and made a brief
stop, then went another 43 miles to Parker, a County seat where I
hoped to find a motel, even though the internet showed none. (Many
mom and pop operations are not on the internet and it seemed like a
County seat ought to have at least one motel.) Alas, there were
none. Worse, my cell phone kept reading "No network coverage", so I
could not make any calls. A very helpful convenience store clerk let
me use her cell phone, which I used to call two motels my daughter had
located the night before, one a ways ahead and the other a ways
behind. Both were fully booked, apparently by construction workers.
With the clerk's help, I located a motel with space in Canton, which
was over 30 miles ahead, and it was already fully 7:00. I reached the
motel about 9:20 p.m., covering the last 5 miles or so in the dark.
Temperatures were in the 60s all day, with occasional rain, though I
never really got wet. The hills were not bad after Platte. There was
a light headwind most of the day, and an occasional crosswind.
I stayed on route 44 almost all day, dipping south to US 18 for the
last seven or so miles. At the motel, I bought a phone credit card,
since I had no cell phone service in this area, and my motel phone
call the night before had cost me $22 for an 8 minute call (though the
exact price wasn't known until later.)
With some difficulty, I was able to find some food at that late hour,
and after eating, went right to bed.
Mileage for day: 174
Mileage for trip: 1822 (SD 290)
Net headwind

Thursday, August 23, 2007 - Day 14
It was raining when I woke up. I've finally run into the rainy
weather that has inundated much of the mid-west this month, including
the rest of my route on this trip. Because of yesterday's late
exertions and a recent series of fairly high mileage days - by my
standards - I don't mind waiting it out for a while, though the rain
can always regenerate even if it stops. In any event, I'm back on
schedule to finish on time.
I left the motel at 7:40, which was the latest start of the trip,
except for Truckee, and crossed the swollen but not flooding Little
Sioux River into Iowa 3 miles later. (293 total in SD). Waiting out
the rain didn't keep my dry. The rain did resume, and about 50 miles
of riding in rain and drizzle left me thoroughly soaked. Fortunately,
the temperature was mild (60s rising to the low 70s later), so it
wasn't that uncomfortable. Not far into Iowa I crossed the route of
my 2001 ride from the bottom of Texas to the top of MN, which was on
US Hwy. 75, at a place called Perkins. I can't say as I particularly
remembered the road from the earlier ride.
Anyway, I rode the 45 miles from Canton to Sheldon, had lunch there
about 11:30, then continued on to Spencer (mile 85), by which time the
rain had stopped and the roads dried. I happened past a bicycle shop,
and went in to check the air pressure in the tires (the back tire was
low). She also lubricated my chain and blew the sand out of the gear
apparatus. So the bike now performs better than it looks. (quite
sandy)
In Emmitsburg (mile 111), I stopped for a snack and called ahead for a
motel reservation in Algona. My cell phone has service again. Coming
into Algona 24 miles later, I passed a supermarket and wine and liquor
store, and bought "provisions" (fruit, coleslaw, V-8 juice, chicken
salad, wine, cheese, salami and diet Mt. Dew) to take to the motel
when I checked in there, so I wouldn't have to go out later.
I was on US 18 all day, and will be most of tomorrow as well.
Mileage for day: 135 (132 in IA)
Mileage for trip: 1957
Winds: light and variable, call it neutral

Friday, August 24, 2007 - Day 15
I left the motel at 6:10 a.m. and rode 51 miles to Mason City,
stopping for breakfast at 10:10 on the west side of the city. I'm
taking Business Route 18 through Mason City and will then decide on
the route from there.
The Weather Channel showed storms on my path about 75 miles ahead.
They should be gone by the time I get there. The question is whether
more storms will fire up and follow in their path.
After breakfast, I continued on Business 18, then continued straight
west on Rtes.122 and B-30 to where it rejoins 18 at Rudd. Except for
that deviation, I stayed on US 18 all day. Feeling generally tired and
a bit "down", I saw some inviting shade (the sun had come out) and
greenery at a little river crossing near Nora Springs and lay down for
a "short" snooze. An hour later I woke up and, feeling very
refreshed, I was off again.
I called ahead for a motel reservation in West Union - about 40 miles
short of the Wisconsin line - thus trimming down my ambitions for the
day, and reached that town a little after 6:30. It's laundry night
and the motel had a washer and dryer, but no soap, at least none that
the clerk would give or sell to me. The clerk called the owner, who
was unsympathetic, saying "everyone" brought their own soap. That's
an interesting claim, since it's the first time I've ever had that
problem. But if that's the worst I can say about the assistance I've
received from so many on this trip - and it is - I've been very
blessed indeed - and I have. Anyway, after some bitching and moaning,
I biked up the street to a grocery store and bought the smallest
amount of laundry soap that I could (15 loads worth), so I had a lot
to leave behind for future guests. A faded t-shirt and a pair of
socks developing holes were thrown out, which represents a token
effort to "lighten the load", similar to discarding maps after I've
gone on to the next place.
The temperature range today was from the low 60s to the mid 70s.
Early on, it was gloomy and hazy, but mostly sunny after 10:00 a.m.
The rain that threatened never materialized. The winds were mostly
light and northerly. Call it neutral.
Mileage for day: 134
Mileage for trip: 2091 (266 IA)

Saturday, August 25, 2007 - Day 16
I left the motel at 6:00 a.m. and rode 43 miles before stopping for
breakfast at Prairie du Chien, WI. At 9:00, 41 miles out, I had
crossed the Mississippi River bridge on US 18 into WI, and stopped to
take a picture. It's great to be back in my home state again, not
least because it means I'm almost home, but also because the route is
familiar, and the land a lush green, although that has been the case
since eastern SD.
A few miles past Prairie du Chien [no prairie dogs in sight, BTW; I
saw all the prairie dogs I was going to see back around Casper, WY], I
transferred to Hwy. 60, which stays close to the Wisconsin River and
presumably has less climbing than US 18, which goes cross-country to
and through the City of Madison. Several miles up the road - at
Wauzeka - a different state highway was closed due to high water from
recent rains. Rte. 60 itself was closed for about 15 miles due to
construction, and I was detoured to the south side of the River. But
the detour - WI 133 from Boscobel to Muscoda - was a good road and
surprisingly flat. Returning to WI 60 after re-crossing the River at
Muscoda, I retraced my 1998 LA - Milwaukee route through or past
Gotham, Lone Rock, Spring Green, Arena and Mazomanie, picking up US 14
along the way.
Mini-disaster: I left my cell phone at an historical marker site
south of Spring Green. By the time I missed it, I was about 10 miles
down the road, and considered it too late to turn back. I made it to
4:00 Mass at St. Barnabas in Mazomanie, though I was about 20 minutes
late. Shortly after getting back on the road, I saw a motel just past
Mazomanie, but decided that 5:00 was too early to quit. So I decided
to ride on at least to Waunakee, a north suburb of Madison, and then
to take the first motel I could find. That involved a difficult ride
on WI 19, a dozen or so miles of which is rather narrow, curvy and
hilly, and quite rustic, considering it's so close to Madison. But
that road improves closer to Waunakee, and I made it without incident.
I checked into the last unrented room at a motel a little east of
Waunakee. There was enough daylight to go on to Sun Prairie, which
was a dozen or so miles ahead, but it is a Sat. night and
accommodations are uncertain. Even from Waunakee, it's an easy ride
home tomorrow. I had time for a good meal at a nearby restaurant
before retiring for the evening.
The weather was good today, with a low in the mid-50s and high in the
mid-70s; mostly sunny. The light north wind was neutral.
Mileage for day: 145 (41 IA, 104 WI)
Mileage for trip: 2236

Sunday, August 26, 2007 - Day 17
I left the motel at 5:40 a.m. and rode 39 miles on Rt.19 to Watertown,
arriving there in time for 8:30 Mass at St. Henry's Church. I
wouldn't have wanted to ride parts of Rt. 19 in the Madison area on a
weekday rush hour, but at 6:00 a.m. on a Sunday, it was not a
problem. From Sun Prairie on to Watertown, Rt. 19 is an excellent
bike route any time.
After Mass, I had some coffee and donuts, and then it was "comin' on
in" time - the last stretch before home. I have always found it
exhilarating to end my long bike rides at home. Part of it is the
gradual transformation from the unfamiliar to the familiar. On this
particular trip, over a period of many miles, the grass got greener,
the hills more gentle, the land more forested (especially the hill
sides) and the towns closer together. Then, of course, I eventually
reach a road I've ridden before (in this case WI 60), then roads I've
traveled more and more often before; then I go through towns or
counties that inspire memories or have reputations; and finally I'm
home, and can take my next break on the chaise lounge on our patio.
And of course being greeted there is no small deal.
So I experienced all that again today, passing close or at a distance
so many local markers - the TREK bicycle HQs in Waterloo, the glacial
drumlins that are so ubiquitous in Dodge County, Holy Hill (a favorite
destination), the Waukesha lake country, Lake Five and on into
Germantown. My route was along CTH CW, then 83, CTH VV, and local
roads to CTH Q. There was a last stop to pick up some flowers to
present at home, and then a final 2 1/2 mile ride home, where I arrived
at 1:00 p.m., with 77 miles for the day. The temperature range today
was from around 50 F to 75 F or so. There was no wind worth
mentioning.
Two remarkable sidelights of the trip as a whole: First, it had more
overall climbing than any trip I have taken before. I have no gauge
to prove it, but I'm quite certain that's the case. Second, this trip
had the most benign winds. There wasn't a single serious headwind,
which is the first time that's happened on a long trip.
My relaxation at home was short-lived. Within half an hour, my wife
and I were driving 115 or so miles each way back to Spring Green to
look for my cell phone, which we found.
Mileage summary:
CA 279
NV 422
UT 213
WY 473
NEB 145
SD 293
IA 307
WI 181
Total: 2313
Tail winds: 8/12, 8/17, 8/18, 8/19, 8/20 (5)
Head winds: 8/15, 8/16, 8/22 (3)
Neutral winds: 8/10, 8/11, 8/13, 8/14, 8/21, 8/23, 8/24, 8/25, 8/26
(9)

Thanks for posting this. After the inquiries of I-80 vs. other
routes,
it is interesting to read how things turned out. I'm surprised to see
two flat tires with Marathon Plus tires but perhaps that is a downside
to the interstates. Congratulations on finishing the lower 48 states.

--mev, Mike Vermeulen

On Nov 20, 1:05 am, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote:
Incredible story. Thanks for taking the time to write it all out. A couple
questions-

First, it seems like you were on a mission, somewhat rushed & pressed for
time. Starting out with the three hours of sleep you got upon arrival in SF
(immediately before jumping onto your bike) and continuing along the way, as
you piled on far more miles/day than even most sag-supported riders. What's
the scoop?

It's mainly my personal riding style, common to all my long rides.
Why? Here's a guess: Like a lot of men, I'd like to have some
athletic achievement worth mentioning, and this is the best I can do.
I'm not very fast, not possessed of much upper body strength, not very
coordinated, not very agile, have injury prone shoulders, and more
often than not am a bit overweight. But I do have the ability to sit
on a bicycle for hours on end, day after day, grinding out miles, and
adapting to a fairly wide variety of weather conditions along the
way. So that's what I do!

Second, just out of curiosity, which cell service did you have that had such
wide areas of no coverage (when other cell phones did work)?

AT & T. Its maps showed spotty service in S.D., so I wasn't
surprised.

"Ron Wallenfang" wrote in message
...
On Nov 20, 1:05 am, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote:
Incredible story. Thanks for taking the time to write it all out. A
couple
questions-

First, it seems like you were on a mission, somewhat rushed & pressed for
time. Starting out with the three hours of sleep you got upon arrival in
SF
(immediately before jumping onto your bike) and continuing along the way,
as
you piled on far more miles/day than even most sag-supported riders.
What's
the scoop?

It's mainly my personal riding style, common to all my long rides.
Why? Here's a guess: Like a lot of men, I'd like to have some
athletic achievement worth mentioning, and this is the best I can do.
I'm not very fast, not possessed of much upper body strength, not very
coordinated, not very agile, have injury prone shoulders, and more
often than not am a bit overweight. But I do have the ability to sit
on a bicycle for hours on end, day after day, grinding out miles, and
adapting to a fairly wide variety of weather conditions along the
way. So that's what I do!

Second, just out of curiosity, which cell service did you have that had
such
wide areas of no coverage (when other cell phones did work)?

AT & T. Its maps showed spotty service in S.D., so I wasn't
surprised.
Congratulation Ron; I enjoys reading your reports for a few years now. My
first was when you rode south from Philadelphia. My style is much like
yours, long and slow. For about three years I set a goal of a century each
month. Then two centuries a month. My average speed is less than yours,
about 11 mile per hour on long rides so I would ride a lots in darkness this
time in the year.
Currently I have set up a trainer with a DVD player in the front bag
http://www.billcotton.com/my_training.htm I plan to continue the one hour
each day that I have done for 13 days now.

--
www.billcotton.com

On Nov 21, 1:43 pm, "Bill Cotton" wrote:
"Ron Wallenfang" wrote in message

...

On Nov 20, 1:05 am, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote:
Incredible story. Thanks for taking the time to write it all out. A
couple
questions-

First, it seems like you were on a mission, somewhat rushed & pressed for
time. Starting out with the three hours of sleep you got upon arrival in
SF
(immediately before jumping onto your bike) and continuing along the way,
as
you piled on far more miles/day than even most sag-supported riders.
What's
the scoop?

It's mainly my personal riding style, common to all my long rides.
Why? Here's a guess: Like a lot of men, I'd like to have some
athletic achievement worth mentioning, and this is the best I can do.
I'm not very fast, not possessed of much upper body strength, not very
coordinated, not very agile, have injury prone shoulders, and more
often than not am a bit overweight. But I do have the ability to sit
on a bicycle for hours on end, day after day, grinding out miles, and
adapting to a fairly wide variety of weather conditions along the
way. So that's what I do!

Second, just out of curiosity, which cell service did you have that had
such
wide areas of no coverage (when other cell phones did work)?

AT & T. Its maps showed spotty service in S.D., so I wasn't
surprised.

Congratulation Ron; I enjoys reading your reports for a few years now. My
first was when you rode south from Philadelphia. My style is much like
yours, long and slow. For about three years I set a goal of a century each
month. Then two centuries a month. My average speed is less than yours,
about 11 mile per hour on long rides so I would ride a lots in darkness this
time in the year.
Currently I have set up a trainer with a DVD player in the front baghttp://www.billcotton.com/my_training.htmI plan to continue the one hour
each day that I have done for 13 days now.

--www.billcotton.com

Thanks for your postings, Bill. Your route info was of value the two
years I started trips in Philadelphia. I noted before that we have
similar riding styles. IIRC correctly, though, you're about 10 years
older than I am (64). If I'm going as well as you are 10 years from
now, I'll be happy indeed.