Day 6: Idaho!

109.3 km

After a good night's rest I got up to cloudy weather and to my surprise it was quite cold outside with only 7 degrees centigrade. I left Dayton at 8 am and I didn't get far before I could feel a drizzle, that later developed into heavier rain.

The scenery on the way to Pomeroy was beautiful with rolling hills and open prairies and little traffic and my legs were feeling great. I could see a few windmills spread all over the hilltops the first 50 km and after the route turned from north to east I got to taste some headwind for the first time of the trip. 

I stopped at a rest area and made myself a sandwich from some groceries I was carrying, and as I rolled out again I donned my hard-shell rain jacket and pants due to the increasing intensity of the rain and wind. By 11:30 I cruised into Pomeroy, already wet from the weather, I found a small cafe to sit down and get something to eat.

After finishing up a hearty American size Club Sandwich I reluctantly got out and just when I was about to mount the bike, something funny happened. I caught myself in a comatose state. That was the name I had learned for it while in the air force. The state of standing still in wet, cold clothes with your arms partially stretched out to the side, letting your cold clothes only hang from your body and try not to provoke more bodily contact than absolutely necessary. That was when I tried to force myself out of the spiral of negative thoughts and I did so by putting some music in my ears and pedal hard, forgetting the headwind, rain and mileage to the next town, just pedal. Before long my body was heating up and my legs were feeling unstoppable as I stood up pedaling hard up the dreaded hill, and before I knew it I was at the top! Here I saw signs warning trucks to check their breaks and informing of steep gradient. I went head first into the descent, laughing and screaming like a maniac! What a feeling!

As I reached the the river elevation I got to soak in the spectacular scenery along the river into Lewiston and Clarkston, two towns named after Lewis and Clark who lead an expedition through the area to find a way to the Pacific ocean in the 1800s. After crossing the river into Idaho and taking the obligatory state border picture I took out the ACA map (section 6 of the Lewis & Clark trail) and tried to decide wether to push further or not. I desperately wanted a roof over my head tonight because all my cycling clothes were wet and it was raining. Since I had to squeeze out another 80 km from here to get to the next town with a motel I decided to just stay in a cheap place in town. Plenty of other opportunities to go 150+ km and save money on accommodations.

I managed to get a room for just under 50 dollars and pulled off all my clothes and jumped into the shower, thinking of what a blast this day had been. Later I went into town and sat down at a Starbucks with a hot beverage to catch up on some blogging.

Day 5: Farmland cruising

76.0 km

I woke up to a wonderful crisp morning by the river with the sun shining through the leaves of the tree under I which I had put my tent and a refreshing morning breeze coming up the river. I had made enough food last night so I ate the leftovers and after a little while I was all set. 

My legs are getting stronger by the day now and this morning I felt more rested than ever. This, along with the flat terrain, made the first part of the day pretty easy.

The first 40 km passed on a quiet country road through big open fields and orchards growing cherries, apples and grapes. I was later to learn that all this land was owned by one man, who needless to say had made a fortune on what he produced. 

When I made it to the small town of Prescott I stopped by a post office. I wasn't happy with a couple of thing I had brought with me and had come to the conclusion that the weight loss from getting rid of those items was worth more than having that extra luxury. Also, I thought now would be a good time to get rid of these items since I was headed into some mountainous terrain, within a couple of days ride. The items were stove, cooking pots, some clothes and a camel bak. What a relief.

After having shipped off all the excess items I headed over to a small convenience store to get a bite to eat. Outside I struck up a conversation with a very facinating older guy named Jack. He told me all kinds of stories about things I don't know where to begin to describe. I felt a bit pressed for time as I left Prescott but what do you have time for if not to speak with the people you meet? 

I made my way to a larger town called Dayton and decided to get a motel room in town due to the lack of services for about 120 km on the road ahead. The guy at the reception asked if I didn't mind getting a bigger room so I got a room with enough beds for me and each of my bike panniers. 

Day 4: Riding the interstate

116.6 km

Today I got up at 7am feeling a bit more rested than the previous days. I walked over to the reception for "breakfast" consisting of dried out cakes and hard boiled eggs.

Since this was a Sunday, the town was quiet and I cruised out of under a cloudy sky and with a slight tailwind in my back. 

Due to lack of suitable alternatives, I had to get on the interstate freeway from Sunnyside and follow it all the way to Pasco. The route was relatively flat with some minor climbs and I managed to get the first 70 km done by 12 o'clock. Although the interstate roads are trafficked they let you plow through the countryside in short time, even on a bike. 

Even though the scenery was beautiful, I didn't feel like I got to enjoy it that much because of the high-speed traffic passing by and the fact that I had to concentrate on navigating through glass and debris on the wide freeway shoulder. 

When I got to Pasco, I stopped at a Walmart and bought some brown rice, beans and vegetables that I planned to cook on my stove later, and after asking for directions several times, and making a wrong turn, I managed to find my way out of the city and to a less trafficked road. 

Feeling pretty tired and low on energy I asked a couple of guys - wearing suits and ties and carrying a book in their hands - if they knew a spot to camp for the night. They told me about a nice place called Charbonneau park about 16 km down the road. The guys were Mormons traveling for two months around the area each year to "spread the word of our heavenly father". They were eager to tell me about their faith and what a "truly awesome book" they tried to get me to buy. Even though I am not a very religious man I stood there politely listening to them since they had just given what I at the moment considered life saving information. 

I rolled into Charbonneau park at about 4 pm to find a beautiful recreation area by the Snake river. Here I pitched my tent, took a shower and  cooked a delicious meal and enjoyed the evening. 

Day 3: Through Yakima Valley

114.8 km

I woke up at 7:30 am and started cleaning up the mess I had made the night before, and after doing a bit of bike maintenance, I rolled out once again. My legs could feel the previous days of cycling pretty good. 

The day started with perfect conditions with sunshine and a strong tailwind pushing me the first 30 km to Naches in no time, where I stopped at a classic American diner where I ordered a large hamburger. The restaurant had wi-fi as well, so for the first time since the start I could get in touch with my family and let them know I was ok. I also took advantage of the opportunity to upload the blog entries for the last two days. 

To get to the sizable city of Yakima I had to get on the heavily trafficked freeway for 30 km which wasn't very pleasant from a cyclist's perspective. In Yakima I had planned to purchase a prepaid sim card for my phone, and after asking several people for directions, I managed to get to the store and get my phone set up with an American number. The guy who had helped me asked about the trip and personally walked me outside to see my bike and wish me luck. 

The temperature was up to 29 degrees as I left town but I still had a good tailwind so I managed to get out another 50 or so km until I reached Sunnyside where I got a room at the Country Inn for the night. 

Day 2: Mountain pass

104.2 km

The rain had persisted throughout the night. Strangely enough, the tent and everything inside had stayed completely dry. My shoes on the other hand, were still soaked from the day before. I packed the tent, ate and by 8 am I was on the road and after about an hour I reached the town of Greenwater. 

 After refilling my water-bottles I got talking with three guys, all retired air force pilots/navigators. They gave me some great advice on which route to take across the state and told me I had some beautiful scenery ahead of me. We stood chatting for about half an hour before I set off, having once again been warned of the harsh conditions in such weather over Cayuse pass, and boy were they right! 

The climb started easy but as I gained altitude the gradient increased until I felt completely drained. Being completely soaked and cold from the decreasing temperatures and with so much to go, I repeated to myself what the guys from Enumclaw and the guys from earlier today had said. "80 degrees on the other side. 30 mile descent"

As I finally conquered the pass, I got filled with joy. The view wasn't much since I could barely make out what was 20 meter ahead a of me. I packed myself with almost all the clothes I had to prevent the wind from the descent from reaching the soaked inner layers. And after about 10 km of descending I got below the ever present fog and the rain finally stopped. As I descended into the valley the temperature started to pick up. There was a slight desdcent all the way but my legs felt completely beat after the pass and I wanted to avoid having to camp since the tent had been packed wet. I waved down a car at a local campground and asked the driver if he knew any place to stay inside further down the road, and to my surprise there was, just about 3 km down the road in Cliffdell.

I thanked the guy and almost sprinted down the road, feeling spirited. When I got there the lady at the reception told me they only had cabins left which were 290 dollars a night and that there "probably" wasn't much until the town of Yakima, 50 km away. Disappointed I headed over to the gas station to grab a bit to eat when I again met the guy I had just waved down. I told him what the situation was and  he told me there was a place I about 5 more kilometers further down the road that might have something.

Mentally prepared for another 50 km I set off, and after a while I got to Squaw Rock Resort, just as the guy had informed me. The lady at the  reception told me I could get a cabin for 65 dollars, an offer I accepted in a heartbeat. Feeling extatic over what had just happened, I showed myself a nice little cabin. Perfect. I immediately got out of my wet clothes and hopped into the shower before I spread all my wet stuff around the cabin to dry and went to sleep. 

Day 1: Getting started

71.3 km

After having slept 6 hours I woke up at 5 am. I immediately started putting together the last pieces of the bike before I headed out for the hotel breakfast. After I had packed all my stuff and checked out, I headed over to REI - a store selling all kinds of outdoor equipment - which was located just around the corner from the hotel. 

Me and another guy had gotten there 10 minutes before it opened. His name was Alec and was there to return a touring bike in exchange for another. He was planning a bike tour of his own this summer, only along the southern tier route. 

I found my way out of town after stocking up on some food and cruised into the town of Enumclaw. Here I stopped at a supermarket and grabbed another bite to eat. As I sat down just outside, two guys came over and asked where I was headed, and after telling them they replied with startled looks on their faces. I asked them for some information on the route ahead since I was headed into the Cascade mountain range where services might be scarce. They told me to prepare for long climbs and foul weather, but also that there were 80 degrees (fahrenheit) on the other side of the mountains. As I set off they wished me luck and not after long I felt that the cycling from here on was not going to be easy. 

After about 30 km I felt pretty tired and decided to not push it too far on the first day, so I was able to find a a spot just off the side of the road to pitch my tent. The terrain from Enumclaw had been very hilly with thick forest as far as I could see, with vegetation very similar to Norway. 

Just as I finished dragging my stuff into the woods, it started to pour down. Quickly I put up the tent and ate some fruit and bread before putting all my food toiletries and other things with a strong scent (except from myself) in the waterproof stuff-sack and hung it from a tree a couple of meters away so that animals wouldn't mistake the smell with me. 

Enough talking!

Finally! After handing in all my exam papers I am finally free to focus on cycling across America. I arrived at my parents house in southeastern Norway a couple of days ago and it felt great to see some family and friends before I set off. Having seen nothing but books the last couple of weeks, I welcomed the thought of spending the next two months on the road, seeing new places and meeting new people, but at the same time try to soak in every last bit of home before I leave. 

After spending a couple of days with my family it was finally time to start this adventure I had been talking about for so long. My girlfriend drove me, my boxed up bike and all the stuff i will be needing the next two months to Oslo airport this morning, and after checking in the bike and stuff we said our goodbyes. Everything went perfectly smooth at the airport except for a small comment the gentleman at the special baggage check-in made; that I should not have stuffed my bike panniers inside the bike box but he decided to let me off with a warning. The flight in general went well and as I packed out the bike at the hotel room in Seattle, I found that everything was intact and in order. Seems like the baggage throwers had spared this one.  

Now that I have arrived with my bike on this continent the talking-stage of the trip is officially over, and the doing begins. The easy part is now behind me and the real work lies ahead. But first I will need a good night's rest.