Whenever a team member asks Conor how the next day's ride will be, he ALWAYS says "100 miles uphill into the wind" in order to prepare us mentally for the worst, so however it really is won't be so bad.Today we rode 100 miles uphill into the wind.We started off the morning early, meeting the intense winds around mile 10. With each other's support, we toughed it out, crawling along WA-14, occationally even hitting speeds in the double digits! Our team's trusty trio of speed rushed ahead to reserve a campsite, while everyone else took the day at a more human-like pace. Many riders stopped to pick blackberries and get attacked by thorns. Delicious blackberries! Sharp thorns! After a very long day, the team arrived at Columbia Hills State Park to delicious spaghetti. We were all very exhausted upon arrival, so we all went to sleep.
Columbia River Ride
Day 54:Waitsburg, WA -> Umatilla, OR~75 milesThe team woke up this morning at Waitsburg High School, with most of us having slept in the gym. After packing the van and eating breakfast, Steve utilized our former sleeping space for the most noble of pursuits: dodgeball!
The ride started with a Surprise Climb through rolling Washington wheat fields. Some of the team made a quick detour to the Walla Walla farmer's market for the best pastries/fruit/smoothies/Bob Dylan Cover Band we'd had in quite a while.
After Walla Walla, we followed US-12 west through moderate headwinds. We then hopped onto US-730, which runs parallel to the Columbia River. Great views all along US-730, with towering rock formations on the left and the watery expanse on the right. After pictures at the Welcome To Oregon sign and hot liquid PBJ for lunch, some of us took a moment to throw rocks or wade or swim in the river. Good to have a large body of water so close at hand on a hot day like today.
We arrived at McNary Heights Elementary School in Umatilla and had great hot-water hose showers and internet access--both of which we're savoring, as tomorrow we'll be camping and likely without either. After our burrito dinner, we're getting in our sleeping bags early--we'll need all the rest we can get for our hundred-miler tomorrow.
How the West was Won
We've finally made it into Oregon! At this point in time, we've only got California to go through (although we'll be hopping between Washington and Oregon for the next few days).Our time from South Dakota through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho was incredible. Wyoming was absolutely beautiful, and our experience climbing the 20 miles up the Big Horns was excellent. Afterwards, we enjoyed a massive downhill and an easy day into Cody, WY. My 4th of July was cut a bit short by a sudden bout of sickness, and the team decided to make Cody, WY the rest day instead of Yellowstone, and I ended up staying in Cody the day afterwards because a few of us were still not feeling well. I rode through Yellowstone the second day, and it was beautiful, if very touristy.Montana was a pleasant experience as well. We had mountains everywhere and despite some difficult climbs, the mountains, lakes and forests we passed through were beautiful. Our rest day in Missoula was excellent, starting off with a group of us that left early and raced to Missoula to catch the final game at 12:30pm.After Missoula, we headed into Idaho, which was amazing as well. The climb up through Lolo Pass was a lot of fun (despite some headwinds), and the descent continued for nearly 2 days, through almost 100 miles of winding roads following a river and forest. We got a chance to bathe in some hot springs, relax in the very refreshing river, and enjoy camping and S'mores.The Pacific Northwest has definitely not been what I was expecting. Our first day into Washington was miserable, starting off with a long climb out of Lewiston, ID, and then running into the headwinds that seem to be so prevalent in Washington. Moods didn't improve until 10 miles out of Waitsburg when we hit Dayton, WA and got some snacks and ice cream. The terrain was also not what I was expecting for Washington, we rolled through fields of wheat, rolling hills, and almost desert-like conditions.Today's ride from Waitsburg, WA to Umatilla, OR was great. Scenery changed from wheat fields and hills to giant rocky hills and the Columbia River valley to almost desert-like prairies.I'm still astounded that we'll be in Portland in 3 days and then travelling down the coast into San Francisco. This trip has been so amazing and the team so enthusiastic, fun and dedicated that I'll definitely have I4k withdrawal once I'm back at home. At the same time, I am looking forward to seeing family and friends and resuming a more 'sane' lifestyle, as weird as it will be. But first, let's ride our bicycles!
Windy Washington
Thanks to the First United Methodist Church in Lewiston, the team filled up on a hearty breakfast of cereal and fruit before heading out for the 80 mile day. 3 miles in, we conquered another state, leaving Idaho and entering into the windy state of Washington. Hills, heat, and headwinds proved to be quite a dynamic trio, but they couldn't stop our riders from riding 80 miles through a desert.Matt Olszta, family friend of the O'Haras, graciously donated 14 pizzas for dinner, making up for our expended calories. Today also begins Stars Wars week for the team. Screening of the series starts tonight with Episode I. Good night, and may the force be with you.
A Downhill Day (... and then an uphill... or two)
Another lovely day for the I4K. After filling up with cereal and apple sauce in Kamiah, the team headed out for an 85 mile ride into Lewiston. Knowing a hot day was awaiting, different groups took different approaches towards the miles ahead. Some rode quickly to the stay over while others enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Idaho a bit more. The day was filled with ups and downs... starting with a quick descent, followed by a 10 mile uphill. The team later was brought to a twisting 7 mile downhill and shortly after, one of the steepest hills we've seen to date.Upon arrival, the First United Methodist Church provided the team with a delicious dinner of tacos, cornbread, watermelon, and tamales. We finally have phone service for the first time in a while, so after dinner many members caught up with friends and family, while others did a little bike maintenance before hitting the hay.Also, we met a dog named Renee Zelweiger at mile 24. She was scruffy and liked to eat chips.
Postcard from Missoula
Dear Everyone,Here are a few images from our rest day.Morning hike for the view from above the "M." Many thanks to Mr. Oberweiser for the recommendation.
We all freaked out a little when the alumni riders got us ice cream and wrote us incredibly nice, personalized letters. Special thanks to Tim for mine. And it's true: Missoulian drivers are crazy nice to pedestrians and cyclists.
The team visits the Adventure Cycling Association. They make lovely cycling maps that we use and have the coolest office ever.
Scenes from Lauren's Mosher. Try to guess the rules!
Not much else to say about Missoula other than we loved it and it was awesome.-Max
Montana Nostalgia
I da be in Idaho
Greetings from Idaho. As much as we loved Montana, we were not disappointed to enter this beautiful state. Yesterday we left Missoula and crossed the state line at mile 44, gained an hour, and enjoyed a comfortably warm hot-spring. After 96 miles, we stopped at the Wilderness Gateway Campgrounds. Fruitful teamwork and cooperation yielded a successful camping trip. Fortunately, the weather there was much nicer than that of Yellowstone, and we didn't wake up quite so cold.This morning, we set our for Kamiah after a late start, awesome oatmeal, and high spirits. We enjoyed a short riding day that was primarily downhill, and fought our way up the hill to the stayover. Even after we put in the work, we immediately appreciated it because of the amazing view offered by the front porch of Pine Ridge Baptist Church. Members of the church provided us with hot dogs and home-baked desserts, and after we ate, they invited us to join the pastor's Bible study.
And a normal post to balance spork insanity
(sidenote: if you're interested in seeing some pictures, I've uploaded an album to facebook. Friend me!)After leaving Rochester, we truly entered God's country. Never before have I seen so much land untouched by man. Most of the time I feel like I'm living in a surreal post card, something akin to the paintings and photographs in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Other times, however, I don't get to enjoy the view as much as I would like because I am scouting out potholes, gravel, and trying to dodge family RVs.My days have since blurred together and I regret not keeping up a better record of everything that has happened. I have journaled about some of the days, but have really gotten behind on this blog. In lieu of a summary of every day, I will leave you with a series of images. Enjoy!Mitchell, SD has a corn palace. I suspect it is run by mosquitos.Through the doors of a school in Murdo, you can find a telephone booth still home to a payphone. Hurry, before it is ripped away like all others.The Badlands were dreamed up by the Grand Canyon, after it has tired of its sunken form and decided to raise itself to the sky.Wall Drug has benches lining its storefronts and coffee for 5cents - on the honor system.In Rapid City, we did our laundry in a cute cottage house across the street. There were fly cabinets and a blue room.Deer lurk outside church windows in Gillette.At the bottom of the Bighorn Mountains in the late evening, wind pulls in cool air after a 103 degree day.In Ennis, a Romanian man told me the stars are different out here. If you lay on a picnic table at 1am and look up, you feel as though you can reach them.Young people frolic alongside the highway in clear water and underwater caves. It smells like pine.In Missoula at the Adventure Cycling Association Headquarters, we looked at a picture of a "mystery girl" from circa 1976 during the "Bikecenntenial." The owner said one day someone will come in and say "that's my mother."I'm at the library in Missoula. I've used a computers named Mork, Mindy, Archie and Gilda.Tomorrow, we shall continue on through Lolo Pass!
R.I.P. KFC Spork
You may or may not have heard the story of my Colonel Sanders spork, but as he is now dead and cracked I only feel it is appropriate to say a few words, and tell you the story. I have had a Kentucky Fried Chicken spork on my handlebars for quite some time. It always points in the direction I am going and it has not failed to get me to a destination as of yet.I acquired my spork while in Zanesville, OH. The church provided us with a lovely lasagna dinner and afterward we were served cake and neopolitan ice cream. There was a big bin of plastic silverware from which we could choose a utensil, and the varieties were abundant. I think I took a regular old spoon, but then I looked over and saw Max eating his ice cream with a spork. Genius!So, I said to Max "When I was younger, my mom would take us to KFC and we would eat delicious mac and cheese and mashed potatoes with sporks just like that." Just then, Max exclaimed "Why look, it IS a KFC spork."Max graciously let me take the spork from his hands and upon closer examination I realized that it was indeed a vintage spork, for it was complete with the Colonel's head and it said "Kentucky Fried Chicken" on it. (If my understanding is correct, the corporation no longer goes by that name and simply uses the phrase "KFC"). I estimated the value of the spork to be around $5.But alas, the other morning in Drummond I discovered that the Colonel had been cracked during transportation into a church basement. I suspect the Colonel went on a rampage and gave Jaime and Shea flats during dinner time when we were eating fried chicken and creamed corn. Perhaps it was for the best.
New diet. Buffalo, WY 7/1/2010
I-90 is one of the best roads to travel on. The shoulder is wide and the grades are very forgiving. For a biker, all you ave to do is worry about what is ahead of you. Today was the first day that you could see the first range of the Rockies. They don't look very large from a distance...In order to break the I4k speed record and to stop the progress of losing weight, Jordan and I began a new diet. Fatty, fatty, fatty foods. Some say it the extra weight will help me go faster down a mountain, others say it will make me throw up. I'm fine with either. To feed this hungry man diet, in addition to purchasing team food for the upcoming week, Jordan and I ate some chunky peanut butter and whole milk as a midnight snack. Oh, and a subway sandwich that Mary didn't want to finish. Today's ride was filled with seventy miles of rolling hills with a great breakfast provided for in the morning. As we arrived into Buffalo, a McDonald's "M" graced the horizon. It was no surprise to see that every member of the team stopped by for some food before arriving at the stayover.Today, Pi and I checked the elevation charts of the Bighorn mountains and picked our spot for some speed. Guess we will find out if it was worth it.
Picturedump SD-WY 3
Picturedump SD-WY 2
Picturedump SD-WY 1
\
What's a? Who's a? Where's a Missoula?
Salutations!Our morning started with another unique Mosher. Max instructed us in a guided meditation which proved relaxing and set the tone for the day as unstressed and clear-minded. Sadly we left our friends in Drummond and made our way to our last Montana stayover, Missoula.With only 52 miles to bike today, everyone enjoyed the ride and took it relatively easy. Around mile 20, we stopped at a "hot" spring. While the water wasn't hot, it was refreshing. We jumped off of the cliff into the water, enjoyed the gorgeous waterfall, and some even swam under the rocks into a secret cave. After spending nearly 3 hours and our lunch break at the "hot" spring, we hit the road again.Shortly, we reached Missoula and the beginning of our rest day. The evening concluded with the team sharpening their saltine-eating skills.A special congratulations to Kyle and Eamon who both at 5 crackers each in 60 seconds. Way to go, guys!
Fastest Day, Smallest Town
Greetings!Today was a day of all-around friendliness and love. The day started out with Gabrielle's team-massage Mosher to begin our departure from Butte. Thanks to April Dahlquist for the bagels and muffins! The day continued with high spirits due to monster tailwinds, which let the team cruise at an average of 20 mph for the first 40 miles! After raiding a local Safeway in Deer Lodge, we continued on the remaining 30 which proved a bit more headwindy. But that didn't bothers us much, because we were still buzzing from the tailwinds (even the group that got caught in some hail didn't mind!).Drummond sparkled with generosity from beginning to end, as we rolled into St. Michael's Catholic Church and Drummond United Methodist Church and refueled with chips, salsa, grilled cheese, and lemonade! But the friendliness and support was only beginning. For dinner, we enjoyed the fine company of Drummond's locals, who also cooked us a true feast. Roast beef, fried chicken, salads, fruit, vegetarian chili, creamed corn (Conor's new favorite), peppers, and a special lactic-free dish for the team's lactose-intolerantist. Finally, we enjoyed strawberries and brownies for desert.Tomorrow's ride will be a good one, despite the fact that the team will be 7 lighter (a few riders are leaving early to catch the World Cup final in Missoula (Go Spain!)). Looking forward to a short ride to one of the bike-friendliest cities, with a stop at a hot spring on the way for swimming!Later!
No Butte's about it, Butte is a wonderful town!
The team woke up this morning to a wonderful breakfast provided by our good hosts at Ennis Assembly of God. We all had our fill of muffins, yogurt, bananas, egg casserole, and orange juice before prepping our moustaches and heading for Butte.But Butte would be no easy ride. Only six miles out of Ennis stood a 650 foot climb that got many of us working hard and sweating at 8:30 in the morning. However the effort was well worth it as we flew down the other side and into our first rest stop a few miles later. Jamie was driving once more and decided to treat us to a little surprise and bought the team brownies for the first rest stop. Later on at lunch, we would be treated to a variety of jelly flavors, allowing us to deviate from the traditional grape that we have so often. Lunch was also special because it was right next to the Little Pipestone Creek, halfway up to the Continental Divide. To say the least the water was nearly freezing, however it didn't stop us from dipping out feet in, sitting down in the flowing waters, or for the real adventurous, submerging themselves completely.On our arrival into Butte, many of us made our way over to The Outdoorsman, a bike shop run by Levi Leipheimer's family (for those of you not into the biking world, Levi Leipheimer rides on the same team as Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France). They're a great group of people and helped several of our riders get the supplies and fixes they needed to get back onto the road. So if you're ever in Butte and in need of some bicycle repairs drop by and see if they can't help you.Tomorrow we continue our journey through Montana, arriving in the little town of Drummond, a small town with so much generosity. See you all tomorrow!
Ennis & Butte, MT 07/08-07/09
The ride into Ennis was the most beautiful ride of the trip so far. Hands down, Montana wins the gorgeous award of the U.S. Way to go Montana! Pi easily convinced our group to stop at the Grizzy Restaurant for lunch where we all tried our hand at different burgers. Our waitress, Margo, was awesome. Coincidentally, she was suppose to come to the church we were staying at that night to help out with dinner but was double shifted at work. Riding into Ennis, we were surrounded by more unreal scenery, and pulled up to the beautiful church where we were provided with a delicious dinner as well as hot showers!!
The ride out of Ennis was equally as gorgeous, yet a little more hectic. Hot and humid, I made sure the team stayed hydrated, even though Eamon claims he was going to be over-hydrated (nonsense). It was a tough ride for the team... my knee copped out early... but a cold creek felt refreshing to all in the afternoon (check out those tan lines). Pi, Steve, and Max detoured to see the Lois and Clark caves... I saw pictures, looked awesome... so Jamie and I hid some gatorade for them along the route to insure their hydration as well. I4K LOVES HYDRATION (: (:
West Yellowstone, MT 07/07
Ahh the ride out of Yellowstone. Beautiful. So beautiful that my group, Nate, Shea, Steve, Shao, and I, all decided to sleep at Old Faithful until 4:30pm. With 30 miles left, we finally got out and rode into my favorite state so far, MONTANA!! Pictures better describe this day...
Cody & Yellowstone, WY 07/04-07/06
Ah the 4th of July! I rode out in the I4Khoir with Jill, Mary and Steve, combining the 4 best voices on the team for an American style ride out of Greybull. About halfway to Cody is when it began, I got a little dizzy and wobbly on the bike... but was ok when we pulled into Cody for ice cream... until later...
A generous man on the ride into Greybull donated to the team tickets to the Cody Rodeo. What a better way to spend the 4th than at the Rodeo capital of the country!! The team headed over for an experience none of us were familiar with... it was... interesting. I had no idea what was 
going on... luckily the man next to me did, and by the end I felt like a rodeo regular. Favorite part of the rodeo was when a man came out trying to ride a bull who "was too crazy to have a name for" and then the bull completely lived up to this and knocked over the poor rodeo clown who was hiding in a barrel. Crazy. We head back to the stayover and fireworks went off at 10pm. A bit of home sickness came over me from not taking part in my regular 4th of July activities, but it really was cool to experience the 4th out west.Prepping for our next days ride late at night, "it" took over. Sickness. Yuck. Team vomiting began. TMI? Sorry. Mine didn't hit me until 2am... and it hit hard. By 8am I was ready for a little trip to the doctor to help fix these digestion issues and monster stomach pains. With so many people sick, we forfeited our rest day in Yellowstone and traded it in for another day in Cody!! wooo. With some fluid and drugs in me, I was brought back to the stayover to sleep it off. The rest of the sickies were in the same boat... sick.The following day, between all the injuries and sickies, 8 couldn't ride, and the team took off to Yellowstone to come back for us later in the day. I pretty much just slept and picked up some cold weather gear in preparation for the evening. Eamon grabbed us later and we head into Yellowstone to camp out that night in 25 degree weather. The ride up was so pretty. We took a sick people picture (see left). We saw 2 bears, some antelope and deer. Neato. Camping was also fun. Our tent broke some rules and kept our toiletries in our bags in the tent. Luckily, the bears didn't come and eat us... That would have been a mess!