A Hike On Columbus Day

For a number of years, the guys I ride with have had a ride on Columbus Day.  When it is open, we try to ride the Iron Horse Trail up through the tunnel at Hyak. One year we rode to Snoqualmie Falls on the trail out of Carnation. Another year, on a bakery run, Steve told us he was thinking about Paris-Brest-Paris.

This year, I'm on the shelf, and the guys all had other plans (work, imagine).  So I called my brother Scott and suggested we do a hike.  He said we should do the Monte Cristo trail outside Granite Falls.

Monte Cristo is an old abandoned mining town. It is an out and back trail with a total distance of 8.1 miles. The reason we picked it was because the trail was relatively flat.  While the distance might have been a bit longer than I wanted to walk, we felt that flat would be better for my back than climbing hill.

 Scott had invites a pilot friend of his, Steve.  It turns out that Steve was the person Scott called while I was in the hospital for advice about back surgery. Steve has had a few.

We made it to the town. Took the obligatory picture in front of a building, then ate lunch.  This was the view for lunch.

 After lunch we hiked around the town a little and took more pictures.

 A big rock with trees growing on top of it.

One last photo of the river by the town, then we headed back down the trail.

It was a good day.  I did well.  I had a little shoulder blade pain about a mile from the end, so Steve carried my pack (10 to 12 pounds) the last mile and a half.  It helped a great deal. 

After my latest adventures, there will be more hiking in my future.  I'm looking forward to it.  Hopefully, the weather will always be this good.

Delivering Madeleine to St Andrews!

A few years ago, the thought of Madeleine going off to university would
bring tears to my eyes. Now that the time has actually arrived, I think I am ready! Over the last two years we have visited a dozen schools in California, New England and the UK. Madeleine was lucky her first choice was so clear and even more fortunate that she got into her first choice school! St Andrews is a great small town and seems to be a great fit for a university student. I so proud of her and so excited for her new adventure!

I thought I would share some of the photos!

We made it through high school and enjoyed graduation!








Including Allie's graduation.....



When the girls were very young, Uncle Jim gave them large crayon piggy banks that we have always refered to as their college fund. The day before we left, Madeleine took her coins to the bank to cash them in!




Over Labor Day week-end, we had a big family dinner to send her off!





On Sunday, my mum and I joined Madeleine and all her luggage to head off to Scotland.



First stop was Edinburgh.


Some of the sights of Edinburgh:



The impressive castle.




The beautiful parks.










The bagpipes on every corner!



And a trip wouldn't be complete without a bus tour ...... and the argument before hand about taking the bus tour!



My dear friend Belinda flew in to meet us and we headed off to the Scottish countryside.



We retraced our steps when we were 18 and stopped by the hotel we worked in, giggling all the way!



We had a lovely evening in Pitlochry...




And said goodbye to Belinda the next day and headed to St Andrews.














St Andrews University is celebrating its 600th aniversary this year and is stepped in history and tradition.



This is the view from the new course.



And this is the old course, right on the coast in "downtown" St Andrews.






This was our final lunch with Madeleine!





And here she is in her dorm room. Note the beautiful quilt from Auntie Deb!



And her flat mates!


Here she is in her red academic gown that is worn for formal occasions and during exams.


And it keeps you warm!






Well sweetie, after your first night in your dorm, you still have a big smile and I think you are going to have a great time and hopefully you will learn a thing or two along the way!

Enjoy the journey!

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Let's Do It Again

I woke up in Mazama and thought that the people in the room above were sure stomping around early in the morning. Then I realized I was in a one story building and that was thunder; big thunder.

The original plan for the day was for me to get back on the bike and see how far I could go up the hill. The first 12 miles only went up 1200'. The last five gained 2000'. I expected to have problems once it got steep.

At breakfast they announced it looked like thunderstorms were going to roll through all morning on the east side and it looked much better on the other side. They were organizing sags and we should let them know if we wanted a ride to the top.

Steve and I talked. After the previous day's issues, the best course for me was to catch a ride to the top. I didn't need to be out in the open; in the middle of a rain squall; cold, wet and miserable; looking for the truck. (I am certain I didn't use those semi-colons properly.)

About a third of the riders sagged. I went up in the second wave of cars. The plan was for me to wait for Steve at lunch, at the Diablo Lake Overlook. The first time you have to get in the car on a ride is really hard. The second time, it's not very hard at all.

When I got out at Washington Pass, it was lightly raining with a little snow mixed in. I decided to take photos at Rainy Pass.






After I took the pictures, I checked my tires, like I always do before a big descent, and found my back tire was soft. I had picked up a piece of glass on the climb to Rainy Pass. I fixed the tire, one more photo, then started down.



I was about 5 miles into the 18 mile descent, when I came across one of our riders stopped by the side. He had flatted, blown out his first tube and was out of air cartridges. I stopped and helped him with the flat.

I finished the big descent then did the small climb to the overlook. Steve was about half an hour behind me after my two stops. I took a picture and we headed down.



We still had the three small descents that were climbs the day before. After the first two, we had to cross a grated bridge. Of course, I got off and walked across.



These are the falls at Gorge Lake. The bridge was grated, so when I looked straight down it was like being suspended in the air 400' up. With my fear of heights, I only did that once, then got off the bridge.



The last hour was supposed to be a slight downhill into Marblemount. The headwind made it feel like a slight uphill. Steve and I lined up and started pounding it out. I pulled the last leg into Marblemount. I was surprised when I stopped. I knew we were pulling two women and maybe one guy. There were actually five people behind us. It felt good to know that even though I am having trouble climbing, I can still pull the line in the wind.


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Location:Mazama - Marblemount

Let's Take a Ride

This all started last year, when I missed the summer cycling season. I was having problems this year getting the focus and motivation that I needed to step up my training to regain my normal cycling condition. Steve suggested that we do the Redmond Cycling Club's Marblemount to Mazama tour. Day one, you ride from Marblemount, over the North Cascades Highway to Mazama. Day two, you return. I needed a ride on my calendar that put a little fear in me, so I said sure, I'll go.

The first day of the trip is 75 miles with 6800' of climbing. We drove to Marblemount on Saturday, put our bags on the truck and left just before 9:00. The first hour is a slight uphill to Newhalem. We stopped where they give the Seattle City Light tours.



I thought it was a good time for the obligatory start of the ride photos. This is Steve.


This is Cathie's favorite look for me, The Pirate.



There are three small bumps up before the real climbing starts. This is the view from the top of the second bump. It is the dam and spillway at Diablo Lake.



The next climb was about 5 miles with a little over 1000' of gain. That took us to the Diablo Lake Overlook.


There were lots of motorcyclists around so we found one to take our picture.



We got back on our bikes and rode 8 more miles to lunch. After lunch, the real climbing started. The first climb is 18 miles and 3000' to Rainy Pass. Then, a short descent with a 4 mile climb and 1000' to Washington Pass at about 5400' of elevation.

This is where the pictures of the day's ride stopped. I was okay for the first bit, but after 4 miles of climbing I started feeling a little light headed and nauseous. Due to the beta blocker that I take, it limits my heart rate. I was stuck at about 142 bpm and I needed more. When I stopped and rested for a minute or two, the symptoms went away. When I got back on the bike, they would start up again after a mile or two.

After three cycles of starting and stopping, realizing how long the climb was and the air was just going to get thinner, I decided it was time to call it a day and get in the sag truck.

When you have done the some of the riding I have done over the years (STP, RSVP, Cycle Oregon, RAMROD), you have good days and bad days. The way you deal with the bad days is you become really stubborn and decide there is no way you are getting in the truck, no matter how much it hurts. I've seen people climb into the vans and trucks and for many of them, they don't have a choice. They are broken and they can't go on that day. It's really sad to see.

Well, there I was and I was at that point. I couldn't go on. We found the truck and sent Steve on his way up the hill. The sag driver was really nice. As he said, "It's a bike ride. It's supposed to be fun. When it's not fun, you should stop." He made me feel a lot better.

The original plan was to have me wait for Steve at the top of Washington Pass, then ride down together. It was too cold to wait up there, so we told Steve that I would meet him at the hotel.

I was dropped off at Washington Pass. I put my coat and winter riding gloves on and did the 17 mile, 3200' descent. It was a blast.

When I got to the lodge, I realized that I didn't get rained on all day. In fact, it was sunny until lunch. Steve was not as lucky, he was two miles from the Mazama Country Inn and he got caught in a thunderstorm. The skies just opened.

The most important part of the day, I kept my promise to Steve.



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Location:Marblemount To Mazama