Day Four, 9-20-05
This was supposed to be our first “all downhill” day. WOW is that profile deceiving. It was as hard as any other day so far. But, I get ahead of myself… there was a much bigger story here. Nate left the cabin pretty early, probably just an hour or so after dawn. He had his “granola breakfast” (not unlike his granola dinner), and like a real trooper, took both Mike and my sleeping bags with him. Mike and I were wondering how he was going to do climbing the first hill, since it was extremely long, and fairly steep in parts. We found out later he had “super energy” for some reason that morning, and did the entire trip in just 45 minutes. Very impressive.
Mike and I had a leisure breakfast (dry banana nut crunch… mmm, yum) and we cleaned the cabin, and left about an hour after Nate. Despite a mild climb out, we were ready for an easier day than the last two. It had rained a good bit the night before, as well as most of the previous day, so the road had plenty of puddles. It was a dirt “logging” road, but it was packed very well. I still prefer it to gravel, but we did a lot of puddle dodging. Before long we started running into the “rollers” – some down, some up and on and on with that routine. We didn’t mind it if these uphill sections were not too frequent, but having read the profile, and having 45 miles ahead, we hoping for less. At our first long downhill section, we let it all hang out, and half way down I hear a “BOOM!”… Mike’s rear tire blew out.
After changing the tire, as we began to blow it up, we saw that the side wall was ripped – from what appeared to be dry rot on the tire. The tube would not stay “inside” the tire, and we had a problem. At this point, I was to begin a day long self chastisement for not packing the things I have written down on my “must pack” list. A spare tire was not only on there, but I suggested two of them for the group. Just like on the first day when we didn’t have the spare chain with us, I broke a chain, on this day when we don’t have a spare tire with us, we rip a tire. I could kick myself.
Mike does a pretty good job with the duct tape he brought, and as we pump it up, it holds. We stop at a campsite a few yards away where some guys were staying who stopped to see if we needed any help. They gave us some “metal duct tape” in case it would happen again. We graciously accepted the material and took off. A paltry 2 miles later, on yet another unexpected steep climb I hear “BOOM!” again. The tape gave way, the rip extended further down the tire, and we were back to square one.
Mike does his thing again…this time with “metal tape”, and he extends it well beyond the rip to try and prevent it from going any further. As we begin to put air in it, it seems to hold again, and we have new hope. However, by the time we get our gear on, and look down at the tire, the tape has pulled away, and the tube is sticking out once again. That’s it… we are officially in “rescue and survival” mode. After riding along side Mike who was now walking his bike, for just a few minutes I realized this would not get us anywhere. I told him I would “ride like the wind” and try to find help. At a minimum, I could try to find someone to take him into Elkford.
After about 15 minutes of riding hard, a truck pulling a trailer is approaching. I flag it down and explain my situation. They convince me there is a lot of traffic on this road, and lots of people at the nearby campground, and we won’t have any problem getting someone else to help, but they are “in for the week”. I have little choice but to say thanks anyway, and keep riding.
Eventually I get to a “Y” in the road. The map says to go right, but there is a campground sign right smack on top of the left road, and only a few miles away. I radio Mike that I’m taking the left Y because I think I might see someone sooner there. I ride for another 5 to 7 miles, and I see not campground, and no more vehicles… I do however, see a herd of wild horses, which was very cool, and I took lots of pictures.
Shortly after that I hear Mike calling me on the radio (which I now figure has a 5 mile range, not a 2 mile range). He is at the “Y” and wants to know which way to go. After much deliberation, I tell him to take the right road, since it will double our chances of finding help. Within the next 60 seconds, another truck comes, and this guy is very sympathetic, and offers to take Mike to Elkford – either he or his buddies will. I am incredibly relieved, and I have not yet lost contact with Mike. I tell him that help is on the way, and he now knows to stay put till help arrives. I can “breathe” again. It turns out that the campground is indeed on the right road, and not the left. When I looked at the map again, I saw a very thin line, with no arrow, but pointing to the right road, despite the fact that the camping symbol was smack in the middle of the left road. Yikes!
Now I’m on my own, and have to make it another 35 miles or so into Elkford. We have lost so much time with the repairs, that I am a little concerned with running out of light. At about the 16 mile mark, I run into a heavy rushing stream that apparently both the vehicles had to cross, since there is no other way around it. The water appears to be about 2 feet deep, which is doable to ride through if I get enough momentum, etc. I rearrange stuff in my packs in the event I go down, say a prayer, back up, and try to blast through it. The water comes up almost to the top of the wheel, and it’s rushing so fast there is too much force against me to keep my momentum going. Fortunately, I did not fall, but clicked out in time to keep from falling. The water is cold, and I will now have wet feet for the remainder of the ride, but it could have been worse.
Along the way, the scenery is still “to die for”. While I’m pointing out all the “adventures and mishaps”, I can not emphasize enough how beautiful the surroundings were. I guess I figure anyone reading these long diatribes would also be interested enough to look at the pictures – they will easily speak for themselves. I’ve taken about 200 pictures so far, and I’ve not been one bit disappointed in the views. In fact, I’ve been only more impressed that the surroundings have exceeded my expectations.
Getting back to the ride, the “all downhill day” finds me using my “granny gear” quite a bit. There is one uphill of equal or steeper magnitude for every 1.5 downhills, until the final 10 miles of the ride. By the time I hit around 35 miles, I am running a deficit of energy. I stop and shed my outer layers, and take on some food. Both combine to give me a “third wind”, and I enjoy the final 10 miles into Elkford.
Amazingly, Nate & Papap by car, Mike by “truck rescue” and me by bike all arrive at the hotel within 30 minutes of each other. The car route turns out to be over 150 miles, but according to Nate and Papap, it was through absolutely phenomenal scenery. They go on and on about how great the ride was, and how great a road biking tour would be through the areas they drove through.
Not having a hot meal in a couple of days, we “woof” down some serious food at a local pizza and lasagna place (they had no pasta, so I can’t call it an “Italian restaurant”), and we are ready to sleep like logs. It ends up being one of the best nights sleep Mike and I have.
Stats & Lessons Learned: Miles: 45, Ave: 12.4 mph for, ????riding time, climbing = ????????
Do not “skimp” on spare parts – yes no one wants to carry them, but you don’t want an entire day blown, and the “ulcers” that can go with worrying if you will make it out of the woods by nightfall. Also, if you can, bring a spare pare of riding shoes – so you don’t have to wear wet shoes two days in a row.