The Great Bike Ride – Day 10

Once again, the weather was beautiful as we pulled out of Richland WA. The first leg of our day was a run west on I-182 through the orchard country of the Yakima valley. It's almost picking season, so the crates were piled up at the ends of the orchards row ready to go.

From there we took WA 221 south through arid and mostly treeless farmland (again). After about 30 miles, we reached the Columbia River Gorge. Rather than run on I-84 on the south bank, we stayed on WA 14 on the north bank all the way into Vancouver. There certainly wasn't much traffic, or any gas stations either. And the views were spectacular.

We did stop at a little roadhouse along the way for a break and something to drink. It looked like it would be fun place at night. The restrooms had very unusual wallpaper, at least in the men's room. Pat reported a similar theme in the lady's room as well.

The Columbia is a formidable river at this point, the better part of a mile across. We were surprised by the amount of wind that blows upstream - enough that at one point I thought that something was wrong with my bike - as though it were losing power. I was put at ease when we stopped for lunch and both John and Buss said they were getting tired of fighting the headwind. However, the scores of windsurfers we saw must have loved it.

We stopped at Bonneville Dam, about 40 miles from Vancouver. We got to see the generator gallery this time, but could not go down on the generator floor -- post 9/11 security tightening again.

One of the coolest things at the dam was the fish ladder. At some point as these dams were being built, folks figured out that the migration paths for salmon to their spawning grounds were being cut off. So structures were added to the dams so the salmon could work their way around. At Bonneville there is a viewing gallery below water level so you can see the fish making their way through the ladder. Some of the salmon were huge - probably 24" and 15-20 pounds?

I was surprised to see a bundle of lamprey clinging to the windows. Lamprey are parasitic fish that spend their life in the ocean attached to larger fish. But they spawn in the freshwater of their birth, just like salmon. Apparently they don't swim as well as salmon, and have to take a break by clinging to the glass, as they cannot get a grip on the concrete in the ladder.

Diane arrives at the Portland airport around 1pm tomorrow. John is going to ride the shuttle over to pick her up and bring her back to our hotel, where we will load up and head southwest, ever closer to the coast.

DAY 11

The Great Bike Ride – Day 9

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

After a good night's sleep, and a fine breakfast, we ran over to the Visitor's Center at Grand Coulee Dam to take the tour. Unfortunately, the special inclined elevator they use to take visitors down into the Third Power House was down for repair, so no tour. With a little disappointment, we hit the road.

My main drive for coming to this part of the country was to visit the Manhattan Project sites where my granddad, A.G. (Tom) Lambert worked during World War II. The key site was the Hanford Engineer Works, which was run by duPont. From its construction in 1944 until just a few years ago, this was a top-secret facility, where the plutonium for nuclear weapons was manufactured. Today, it is being decommissioned. However, twice a year they give tours of the facility, and it turns out tomorrow is one of those days. I called the tour office and tried to beg my way onto the tour. They said no way – the list had been closed for security reasons.

The ride from Grand Coulee to Richland was beautiful, following the shores of Banks Lake for about the first 60 miles. With the black rock buttes around us, it felt like a scene from a cowboy movie. As we came out of the canyon, we hit some strong crosswinds which stuck with us for about 50 miles. Fighting against these take a lot of steam out of you.

When we got to our motel in Richland, I saw a flyer for jet boat rides on the Columbia River, which include a run past the Hanford reactor sites. I was excited again! So I called the number to get reservations on the trip tomorrow morning, only to be told that there weren't enough reservations and they had cancelled the morning trip. Not a good day for satisfying my interest in the Manhattan Project. At least we visited the little museum here in town.

Tomorrow we had planned to run into Portland to pick up Diane at the airport. But her flights are actually on Thursday, so we're taking our time by riding the Lewis & Clark trail into Portland. Should be beautiful.

So after a great Mexican dinner at a place next door, we're crashing for the night.

DAY 10

The Great Bike Ride – Day 8

Monday, September 4, 2007

Today was the first day of our second week on the road. Once again we were blessed with clear blue skies and temperatures from a pleasant chill in the morning to a hot afternoon.

The intention was to take US 2 from Kalispell MT to Spokane WA, but the GPS (not mine!) directed us south on US 93 toward I-90, and none of us figured it out until we were far enough down the road to make it not worth going back. Nonetheless, we ended up on a couple of great roads, virtually alone through the ranch country along Montana state route 28. At Thompson Falls, we found a cool local place for lunch, and got a recommendation from a couple there to take the road over Thompson Pass. This meant we missed going past Lake Pend Oreille (pond-o-ray), the site of the 1969 Boy Scout National Jamboree, which I had attended. Oh well. It was still a nice road.

After crossing over the Thompson Pass, we ended up on I-90 to run through Coeur D'Alene Idaho and Spokane WA before heading north on US 2 and WA 174 to the site of Grand Coulee Dam. The terrain changed from the green forests of the Montana Rockies to the arid prairie of western Washington.

On that 1969 trip to the National Jamboree, we flew into Seattle and rode buses across Washington to the camp grounds. Along the way, we stopped at Grand Coulee Dam, and I've always wanted to come back, particularly once I came to understand the role of the dam in the Manhattan Project, and my granddad's connection to all this. One of the neat things about this dam is that water actually flows over the top of the dam, as a sort of man-made waterfall.

So I was little disappointed that there was no water going over the dam when we arrived here today. Maybe it's because conditions are very dry out here this year, or maybe because with the third powerhouse operational, they use all the water spinning the turbines.

At 8:30pm, after it becomes dark, a laser light show is displayed on the face of the dam. Interestingly, they release water over the top of the dam during the show to create a white screen on which to project the lasers. Of course it's dark, but you can hear the rushing water. After the show is over, they shut it back down again.

Tomorrow we plan to tour the dam, then head to Richland WA, another key Manhattan Project site. Jeff is heading to Seattle for a couple of days to see friends, and will rejoin us in Portland on Wednesday evening.

Oh, and we now have ridden about 3,000 miles.

DAY 9

The Great Bike Ride – Day 7

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Great deal of riding today! Because of our unexpectedly long day yesterday, we started out pretty close to Glacier National Park, and were able to enter the park mid-morning.

The Going to the Sun Road in Glacier NP is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful rides in America. I guess I'll probably end up saying that a lot on this trip.

We made it to the hotel about 4pm, and get to have a relaxing evening for the first time in our initial week on the road. We needed it. The bikes have taken us about 2,625 miles so far, and we're just getting started.

Well, enough words, enjoy the pictures...

DAY 8

The Great Bike Ride – Day 6

Saturday, September 2, 2007

At our motel in West Yellowstone MT, the morning was chilly and foggy when we woke up. After a quick stop at the McDonalds for breakfast, we ran back into Yellowstone to watch Old Faithful. On the way in, we were stopped by a pair of young bull bison who were sauntering across the road just feet in front of us. We all felt pretty exposed, and were glad they seemed pretty bored with us.

After watching the eruption, we jumped on the bikes and headed for the north gate of the park. I had not been in this part of the park before. Unlike the other areas, the northwest quadrant of Yellowstone begins the transition to the browns of the arid high plains of southwestern Montana.

US89 north followed the Yellowstone River for a good distance, then climbed up to the prairie where we came to understand where the term "Big Sky" came from. It was brown ranch land all around us, to the distant mountains at the horizon. Not a telephone pole for miles. In some ways, it was like the run across Wyoming of a couple of days ago, but not nearly so hot. In fact, it was about perfect riding conditions in some of the more beautiful territory in the country. US 89 gets my vote for a top biking road in the USA.

We planned to stay in Great Falls tonight, but there was apparently not a single hotel room in this decent sized city. The folks at the Super 8 sent us 50 miles further north to Conrad, where we found rooms in a little complex that included the hotel, a truck stop and a casino. Dinner was at the Subway.

It was another late, 400 mile day. Tomorrow we plan to go only 200 miles to Kalispell, MT, but 50 of those miles is the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. At least we have already booked rooms in Kalispell.

DAY 7

The Great Bike Ride – Day 5

Friday, August 31, 2007

Everyone slept well in Hardin, so we were eager to get on the bikes and make the run to Yellowstone.

The first 60 miles were on I-90 into Billings, where we caught US 212 to Red Lodge Montana. This is a funky little town full of tourist shops and pubs, and of course a Harley dealer where everyone got T-shirts.

The main point of going to Red Lodge was ride over Beartooth Pass into Yellowstone. Terry and I didn't get to do this last fall as Beartooth had already been closed for the winter. Wow, was this some ride. Red Lodge sits at about 5,500ft of elevation, and the summit of Beartooth is about 11,000. The climb is steep and full of curves, but the view was breathtaking.

We then entered Yellowstone at the northeast portal, and followed the Lamar River valley to the center of the park. Along the way we saw several bison herds, but the main attraction was the scenery. At Tower Junction, we headed south for Yellowstone Lake. Terry and I never made it to this part of the park last year, and that was too bad because the lake is one of the most beautiful parts of the park. We even went into the lodge to see if we could get rooms there, but no luck.

So we headed for West Yellowstone to crash. Unfortunately, we got caught in a cold rain, and were pretty wet by the time we got our rainsuits on. At the hotel, we all grabbed hot showers, and walked to dinner – no one wanted to get back on a bike just then.

Tomorrow we'll start the run to Glacier National Park, probably ending up in Great Falls MT.

DAY 6

The Great Bike Ride – Day 4

Thursday, August 30, 2007

The day started off in Kadoka SD. After breakfast at the local greasy spoon, we jumped on I-90 West for the quick run to the Badlands. It was the first time for John and Jeff, and they were appropriately impressed with the area. Pat & Buss had visited the Badlands the when they rode to Sturgis last year, and Terry and I had chance to visit last fall. It was a pleasure to run through again, this time on a bike.

From there we stopped at Wall Drug for Jeff. It's the very definition of a tourist trap, so we didn't stay long.

The next stop was Sturgis. After the Rally, it's a pretty sleepy town. We had no problem parking the bikes on Main Street, or getting a table at Ben's.

Then came the long stretch. We left Sturgis with the goal of reaching Hardin, Montana. My mapping program indicated that there was no lodging on US 212 between Belle Fourche SD and Hardin, a stretch of about 200 miles. It was correct in that regard. In fact, there was virtually nothing on this road except range land and cattle. We found gas in Broadus MT – 100 miles from Belle Fourche. The next gas was another 100 miles later where US 212 joined I-90, at the Little Big Horn (yep, that one).

For most of the day, it was 100 degrees with cloudless blue sky. Not a tree to be seen for the first hundred miles.

While we were eating in Sturgis, some folks at the next table struck up a conversation (there's always someone who wants to talk with the bikers), and upon finding out we were headed for Glacier said that: a) US 2 west of the park is under repair and pretty much a dirt road (no thanks); and, b) the forest fires in the area make many areas uncomfortable to be in. We're a little bummed by these developments, but still plan to head up there next week.

Tomorrow we head into Yellowstone.

DAY 5