Whitefish, MT

Today we rode 56 miles which should have been an easier day, but we were bucking a headwind. Highway 93 was busy with no shoulder, so we had a few close calls with vehicles. They like to drive fast in Montana. One time a large motorhome was coming at us as it was passing in the opposite direction. Another time a motor home blew its horn at us, when there was nowhere else for us to go! We were treated a quiet backroad for about 10 miles and the scenery was awesome! We can see the peaks of Glacier.
We are staying at the home of Charlie and Micayla LaChance and enjoying their daughter Sienna who is 3 and very verbal and athletic. Charlie builds mega-homes in the area for the rich and famous. We got to see the inside of one because he is the caretaker. It was the most incredible home we've ever seen! Then he took us on a boat ride to see the homes from the lakeside. It was a nice change from biking.
Their home is across from the Amtrak station. There has been a lot of activity because the Western Governors, including Arnold, are in town for the week. They took the train to Glacier today. There was a lot of security around including helicopters flying overhead.
Tomorrow we plan to bike into Glacier National Park to Lake MacDonald. On Tuesday we will ride the Going to the Sun highway. Bikes aren't allowed on the road between 11 and 4, so we'll have to get an early start. They say the passes we went over in the Cascades were harder than this, so we think we can do it.
We are grateful for all of the people who have helped us along the way, including our group of 6 guys. There does seem to be safety in numbers. Being in Grizzly country makes me a little nervous, but I think I fear traffic more!
Wish us tail winds and safe drivers.
We miss you!
Love,
Therese and Doug

Eureka!

We're in Eureka, MT. today was a semi-rest day...we rode 30 miles from Rocky Gorge campsite along Lake Kancanusa...a 90 mile long lake which goes up to Canada. We're still with the 6 guys we met the first night. We're staying at a motel tonight, showers are nice! We're catching up on the World Cup on TV.
Our "easy" day was not that easy, long climbs...We walked into town and back, about 3 miles. There were some cute little shops and restaurants. We got some groceries.
There isn't much to the town, but it's surrounded by mountains.

Idaho!

We are in Sandpoint ID. We had another 70 mile day from Ione, WA to here. We had a beautiful campsite last night on the Pend Oreille River. It was a DNR campsite without amenities, except for the beautiful view! It was quiet, just our group and campground hosts.
We had a pretty ride today with rolling hills. We broke 2 more spokes today! Doug is at the bike shop now, trying to get the wheel rebuilt with heavier duty spokes. The shop didn't have enough spokes, so he had to borrow a bike to ride across town to a different shop to pick some up.
We are at the Best Western motel and RV park tonight. The camping site is really bad, and they charge $40, but we can use the pool, spa and showers. There is also a nice beach out front, so we'll probably stay.
We are doing well....tired, but happy!
Therese and Doug

Last Mountain Pass and headwinds

It was another 72 mile day, same as yesterday. Last night we stayed in Republic. The locals recommended that we take an alterate route. they said it would be "a little longer" but less altitude. It turned out to be 15 miles longer, which was a lot at the end when we had a headwind.

We broke 3 more spokes yesterday. Doug is getting good at fixing them quickly. So today, we asked the people from Hawaii who are touring with their wives as sagging in an RV to shlepp our gear to Colville. The less weight helped a lot. We got a cheap motel in Colville tonight, as we are all tired.

Our route today was very pretty, but not dramatic. It was cool, maybe 50-60, clouds threatened rain, but we stayed dry.

Tomorrow, we hope to get all new spokes, and leave a little later than our usual 7 am starts. We may ride 41 or 61 miles tomorrow, depending on how we feel.

We are tired, but holding up. The 6 guys are a good group.

We are so lucky! We are taking a rest day with friends Mark and Betty Taylor who Doug met skiing many years ago. They have a beautiful vacation home overlooking Lake Chelan. They have treated us to good food, good local wine, soft bed, laundry and great company.
We have made it over 3 of the 5 passes in the Cascades. They say these are worse than the Rockies. We ride slowly, but steady, stopping sometimes as often as every .5 mile to drink or share a Gu, take a picture, then move on. The descents are scary! Doug brakes the whole way to keep the speed around 20 mph.
We are still traveling with the 6 guys we met the 1st night. We told them we would be taking a rest day with our friends, and that we would try to catch up later. They said they would take a rest day today too so that we could stay together! There is safety in numbers, so it feels good. We are riding at similar paces so it is working out well. Doug and I are in the middle of the pack.
I wish I could download pictures, but having trouble. The scenery is unbelievable! Snowcapped peaks on Rainy and Washington passes. Waterfalls everywhere.
Thanks for all of your good wishes. We are happy and healthy!
Love,
Therese and Doug

Over the mountain!

We did it. We successfully made it over Rainy Pass and Washington Pass today and are feeling quite proud of ourselves. They are the two highest peaks on the entire route and we've heard they may be tougher than crossing the Rockies. At a steady 4mph we made it to the beautiful, snowy top where we threw on our down jackets and mittens for the quick descent into town. We have been riding with a group of guys who are on their way to Maine. We are currently camped somewhere between Mazama and Winthrop. That's the update for now! Tomorrow we'll try to have the camera closer to the top so we can capture the view.

Anacortes

Doug, Greg and I took the Ferry to San Juan Island yesterday and biked around the whole island for a total of 43 miles. It started out drizzly,but then the sun came out and it was incredibly beautiful and nice. We are so lucky. The 43 miles took all day as we stopped so often to take pictures and enjoy the views. We saw the following wildlife: otter, sea lions, deer, grey fox, and the following domestic animals: cows, sheep, alpacas and a camel named Mona Lisa!
We ate crab cakes and fries as we waited to board the ferry to return to Anacortes. We are staying at a great place: Ships Harbor Inn, recommended by my cousin Kathleen. It is right next to the ferry dock. I recommend it as a jumping off point. We also found a campground on San Juan which has sites for bikers and kayakers for $10 night overlooking the water. Next time!
We purged our gear last night and sent some home with Greg. We feel like we are being minimalist, but the B.O.B. trailer bag still seems heavy!
We are so grateful to my cousin, Kathleen, her husband,John, and sons, Michael and Charlie for all they did for us...picked us up at the depot, took us for a bike ride around Seattle, fed us, let us stay in their guest room and then took us all the way to Anacortes! Thanks!!

tandemonium2

tandemonium2

Off the Train and On the Bike

We spent 36 hours on the train from St. Paul to Seattle. We had a great trip. The scenery was beautiful, especially through Glacier National Park. My cousin Kathleen and her husband John have been hosting us at their home in Kirkland. We went for a 30 mile test ride around Lake Washington. It was the first sunny day in weeks here and everyone was out biking! We had great views of Mt. Rainier. Tomorrow we head up to Anacortes. We'll spend two nights there, taking the ferry to the San Juan Islands to explore. Tuesday, we'll head East!

1 day and counting

Doug and I have been planning this trip for a few years and now the time is near. We are taking Amtrak to Seattle and then biking back to St. Paul on our tandem! Doug has retired from the Post Office and I have the whole summer off...
We are making the final adjustment to the bike. We bought a Raleigh tandem off of Craig's list with disc brakes. It is 11 ft. 10 in. long with the B.O.B. trailer attached. Our expert mechanics and mentors, Scott and Cayley have been instrumental in getting us ready. We ordered the maps from Adventure Cycling. We are riding the Northern Tier Route. They test rode the route last year and have shared their log with us.
Tonight we were treated to a send off dinner from my family (but we forgot to take a picture!)
Thanks everyone!

From Spring 2010