We had a great meal last night made by our guide Linda. She made us turkey chili with Ceasar salad, fruit salad and corn bread. She rides some days with us then shops everyday for fresh food and cooks it all in her tiny kitchen in the womantours trailer. Very talented!
(Biggs Junction at 6AM)
Today we left Biggs Junction at 6:15 AM to get a jump on the heat. We immediately headed over a bridge that goes over the Columbia River and connects Oregon to Washington. We went over together as a group and took up the whole lane because sometimes there are high winds on the bridge . Our sag vehicle followed with flashers on to prevent traffic from also blowing us off the road. Immediately after crossing the bridge into Washington, we started a three mile climb. That got the blood flowing in our legs! We were on SR 14, much less traffic and good shoulders. Some of the time it was that chip seal which jared my hands into numbness, but I would take that anytime over I-84! That was my day. We rode this route for 75 miles, stopping at the only convenience store on the whole route at 35 miles to load up on water and use the only real bathroom. There were no gas stations, restraurants, mini-marts...nothing. We had to depend on the sag drivers to be where they should be so we could load up on water. Sometimes they had to go out and get someone so I went 30 miles without getting water. I rode with two southern girls so they shared their water with me until we could hook up with the sag. With cold water in me and all over me (I poured bottles over my head), I was fairly confortable enough to really enjoy the ride. We rode over another bridge with a bike lane back ionto Oregon at about 85 miles. When I arrived in Umatilla around 1:45 PM, the temperature read 99 degrees! We stopped at the first mini-mart in 90 miles and each had ice cream. Then to our "Desert River Inn" and the pool. Since I didn't have any lunch, I am looking forward to tonights menu. My roomate tonight is Barb from Rome, New York.
Stats: 90.44 miles, 6 hours, 3 min (we did have a ten mile an hour tailwind), avg. speed 14.9
(Columbia River in background)
(Me and the "Southern girls"
Virginia from Georgia and Clark from Tennesee)
(A sag stop)
Good job! What a tough ride! By the way, when it's hot, it's very important to eat enough. That gives the body energy to cool itself. Drinking alone wouldn't do it (actually, it can make things worse, by diluting the essential body fluids). ...... Around here, on the other hand, the temperatures are yet to hit the 90s...
ReplyDeleteEating tends to be a problem because there are very few places of any sort out here. My liquid food and electrlyte drinks spoil by the afternoon from the heat. The Cliff bars and GU jells are it sometimes. I make a jelly sandwich because the peanut butter makes me sick. The meals are wonderful at night so I load up then if need be. Thanks Dana for your advice
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