Day 7 - definitely was not heaven

Astoria to Tillamook….suppose to be anyhow. 

Day started with a lot of rain and wind.  Only Shannon and I rode.  Did I mention there was a lot of rain?  

By lunch we were at Cannon Beach and had Mo’s Clam Chowder and a sandwich on the wind free side of the truck.  Thanks Jer for jetting ahead to have the chowder ready for us.  

Then Carl and I went swinging in the park.  Yeah, it is all about having fun.

Then we decided it was time to get moving.  I asked Shannon what we should do – ride or surrender to the Hurricane and we both decided it was best/safest to surrender – so we did.

Good move.  We came to the church, showered, went to the Tillamook Cheese Plant, had some ice cream, met Dad’s cousin Rosemary and her husband Gary Stutzman – very random as they were planning to meet us on Monday night in Lincoln City.  Dad’s brother-in-law Enos and our cousins Karen and Loren also met us in Tillamook and joined us for dinner.  Good food and good times at the Pelican Pub in Tillamook.

Through Yuma Bev, we met Sherrilyn who coordinates a PD support group in Till and a couple of the local members.  Then the mayor of Till arrives. Suzanne Webber.  Her mother has pd.  Was great evening.

Today while riding in the rain, I thought of all those who help Shannon and I with this ride – who have no other connection to PD other than they know Shannon and/or I and yet they are so giving of their time.  We know so many incredible people and are truly blessed by their friendships.

I have seen some really cool barns since we entered Oregon and this is one of them.  Guess its the farmer in me.  The farm we lived on in Nebraska had a huge barn - it amazed me then and the old ones still do now.

That is me, trying to stay ahead of the seagull who wants to relieve itself on me.  No, I cannot ride on water. :)

Day 6....pick up stix

Toledo, WA to Astoria, OR  

81.5 miles, 3.658 feet of elevation gain and we ended up at only 157 feet above sea level.  Yes, it was one of those days.  

Travis, our host in Toledo, rode with us for a couple of hours this morning which was awesome.  His sarcastic wit fit in good with our team and it was good to have the local perspective on a few of the landmarks we passed.  Such as the weak women barn.  I had a picture but it has vanished.

From the 1930’s sold tonic to help weak women.  Weak Women became the phrase of the day and Rachel never let us forget about it.

Weather was dry until between 20-30 miles from the WA/OR state line, then it started to rain.  Spit at first and then rained and rained and rained the last 50+ miles.  Some great scenery along the Columbia river.  Ate at Sharon’s Pizza for lunch.  Rode a ferry across to OR.   

After we crossed, Carl decided to take the rest of the afternoon off and recover.  Then it really started to rain.  Shannon stopped about 20 miles from the end to get to a bike shop before it closed.  Dad and I rode the rest of the way in when it really started to rain.

It was good to ride in the rain…for awhile.  Kind of relaxing.  

No one can tell you are crying when it rains.

Staying at the Grace Community Baptist Church in Astoria.  Marsha, the Church Secretary, is our contact and she is a hoot.  Her and Rachel spent about 20 minutes talking about ducks.  Dinner was spaghetti, garlic bread and salad made by Rachel and it hit the spot. 

Today I rode in honor of Mom, Leisa, Kathy and all those ladies who are the caregivers to their husbands with PD. 

In 2011, we saw a lot of churches with great sayings on their signs.  This was the first good one I have seen on this trip and I think it pretty much sums up what POPs is about.  

Saw this pond while we were riding along the Columbia River.  I thought this was just incredible.

Day 5 - we all gotta strive

Today we rode from Elma to Toledo, 62.5 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain...so you could say this was a recovery ride.  We made it to Toledo at about 4pm.  It was a good riding day all around.  The weather was great - partly to mostly cloudy, a slight breeze and beautiful countryside.  

I posted a video on FB of how the terrain and country looked today.  If you haven't seen it, visit www.facebook.com/popsride and find the post.  It was posted by about 10am.  

Dad and Carl once again turned every mile.  They called today the day of the butt because everyone's southern region was a little tender.  This is normal as we build our buttolerances and wait for the bruises to heal.  The good news is no one has saddle sores.

Carl and I tried to make up some good songs for all but I just can't replace Tom Casey.  However, we did learn that we can cover the miles faster without Tom.  We are not sure why.

This morning we rode up on Jer and he was talking to a local farmer.  Across the road were the farmer's lamas.  One of them photo bombed me.

We had lunch in Centralia, WA at the Rotary Riverside Park.  When we rode in we passed some BMX freestyle guys and they were like, Nice Shirts.  We told them where we were headed and they said we were crazy.  Carl asked them to do a trick so one of them hit a ramp and did a backflip...without a helmet or pads.  Now tell me who is crazy.  They were cool about what we were doing, wished us well and told us to watch out for glass as the locals like to toss bottles into the bike lanes.  

Then we rode some more, found a couple of good hills and then found a really good downhill.  The sign said 16% grade and we think it was about 1/2 mile long.  Dad and I maxed at about 39ish mph.  I was a little nervous watching Dad fly that fast but he was having a good time, as we all were.  Good Times.

One of the coolest things I saw today was this:

How cool is it to know there are still places in this world which rely on honesty, integrity and values.  This wowed me.  So far, this trip has been a constant reminder of all the good things and people out there.  Those who are excited about what we are doing.  

I hope we are making a difference.  

Today I rode in honor of Brian Baehr.  Brian has PD.  Another amazing person we have met through our PD connections.  He and his family are also very active in the AZ PD community and encouraging others with PD.  He remains positive and driven to find a cure.  Brain - keep on, keeping on.  You are a force PD hadn't planned on encountering.

Good night.

Day 4 - shut da door

Day 4 – Belfair to Elma

Today was another one for the POPs record books.  We rode almost 60 miles from 8:30am – 5:15pm.  Not record pace by any means but the details of those almost 9 hours are impressive.  We once again did a lot of climbing – 1,913 feet of elevation gain.  We arrived in Elma pretty much on time and rode through a really nice town of about 2,000.  It is really peaceful and the train whistles make it feel like home.  The temperature has gone from 91 down to a beautiful 70ish….thankfully.  Once again we are riding during record heat – in the 90’s.  This time, I have made sure to drink plenty and keep up on the salt intake.  I feel good so am hoping I stayed hydrated.

We were stopped about an hour in to the ride by a guy named Charlie who was selling an interesting seat post suspension system.  We all tried it out and ended up getting two – one for Dad and one for Carl.  The system is pretty amazing and if it helps reduce their fatigue then it is money well spent.

While we were there we had an amazing opportunity to watch nature in action.  A mother duck and her ducklings were swimming in the pond and all of sudden the mother starting quacking very loudly.  Flying overhead was an eagle.  We watched this eagle make several attempts at getting one of the ducklings and finally it was successful.  We have the saga on video and will post it once we get home. 

Then we started riding.  It was warm…ok, it was hot, but we were riding through trees and all was well.  Carl and I knocked off the last 20 miles in about 90 minutes.  He was feeling well and I was just trying not to lose him.  He lived up to his nickname of Bolt.  The man can take off on ya and you have to work to catch up. 

Tonight we are staying with Michael and Beverly Koont.  He is the pastor at the local Baptist Church….and is also a culinary school graduate.  Yep, we had an amazing meal and are all stuffed.  He started us with homemade razor clam chowder and it was incredible.  Then we moved on to fried chicken and baked steelhead trout, rice, broccoli and for dessert either lemon meringue and a chocolate carmel pie that was amazing. 

Again, hour hosts are incredible.  They are friendly and so giving.  We continue to be blessed more than we deserve by the generosity of those hosting us. 

Today – I rode in honor of Patti Meese.  She has an incredible spirit, is very talented and great personality.  We miss having her in AZ but know she is encouraging those with PD in North Carolina and making them laugh and enjoy life.  Keep it up Patti.

Day 3 - I saw tree

Day 3 – Chimacum to Belfair.  We left Chimacum expecting a 50 mile day but ended up with about 61 miles.  During those miles we climbed 2,985 feet and spent some of that time below sea level by about 15 feet.  Right now I am 4 feet above sea level.  What this means is we went up and down a lot.  I think the steepest was about 15% and it was for too long.  Its hard to explain a 15% grade other than the average interstate is built on a 6% grade.  Get out your protractor and look at 15%...then sit back and go…ouch, that is rough.

Mom and Shannon once again rode the tandem all day and she was still smiling and laughing at the end.  She also learned the joys of chamois cream. 

Dad rode all but about 45 miles today and he somehow managed to choose the hardest miles.  Just after he got back on the bike we headed up a lovely hill.  He is a trooper and just kept pedaling.  Not sure if it is endurance, stubbornness or will power but it was incredible to watch and be a part of. 

Carl rode the distance again.  He has covered every mile with us “well” people and still has the energy to make us laugh at night.  His singing and creative talents are shared throughout the day.  Carl, Tom and Phil play off each other well and kept us laughing all day long.  At times, they had Mom laughing out loud.

Today was Tom and Phil’s last day with us and we are sad to see them go.  But, we are very thankful that they would spend their vacations with us touring the country for PD.  They are a lot of fun and I look forward to our next ride together….and there will be another ride together.  Phil’s beat boxing and listing of the capitals of the western hemisphere countries to his reciting of nursery rhymes.

Our lodging for the night is on the Puget Sound and it was so encouraging to turn the corner and see a group from the Lutheran Church standing there to welcome us.  They had a banner for Dad and Carl to ride through and were blowing bubbles as the rest of us entered the parking lot.  They had prepared an awesome potluck dinner for us and even waited for us to arrive almost an hour late.  They were all so happy to see us and we were excited to hear about our adventures.  They were all so welcoming and giving.  Very encouraging as we continue one with the next set of hills.

Jer and Rachel worked through some map gaps and got us here safely.  This included creating a new route on the fly.

To end the day, we took a dip in the Puget Sound and had an outdoor shower at the Parson-egg – an egg shaped travel trailer the Pastor lives in while she is in town. 

Today, I rode for Carl.  Haven’t told him that.  He amazes me….as do most with PD.  It is one thing to see Dad and all he does to ride those miles with his sons.  It is something completely different to watch a friend (or adopted brother) want to also put in those challenging miles.  It is an honor to have him along on this trip and to be trusted by his wife and family to make sure he comes home safely.  Keep it up Carl, you inspire everyone who meets ya. 

Well, it is time for bed.  

Day 2 - tie my shoe

Day 2 we rode from Bellingham to Port Adlock.  Well, really it was from south of Bellingham to a small town called Chimacum.  See pics of the fun we had with the cows on FB.  

The problem is I didn’t write this on the night after the ride so I am already forgetting all that happened.  We had an incredible breakfast made for us by Bud and Joyce Shiffler.  We can’t thank them enough for their generosity.  Bud and I share the same Great Grandfather.  We met at a breakfast in of family in Phoenix a few months back and they offered to provide both food and lodging for us.  We had a great time getting to know them and enjoyed the view from their living room.

In Chimacum we stayed at Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church.  Again, friendly people showing us great support.  We dined at the local café and had some great pie for dessert.  Calories mean nothing to cyclists….except that we need them!

Today we all wore a Davis Phinney Foundation jersey – as it is how we all know each other.  At this point, I have more different DPF jersey’s than I do POPs jerseys.  So, today we rode for Victory and for all those who have experienced the encouragement of a DPF Victory Summit.

Then it was time for bed – but not before Phil made our Day 3 sign.

Day 1.

What a way to begin!  The weather was perfect - a little cool in the morning and a slight breeze but a beautiful day for riding!  Riders included Pops, Mom, Shannon, Tom Casey, Phillip Casey and Carl Ames.  Dad and Carl did awesome.  Mom completed her longest ride yet on the tandem with Shannon.

I don't have any pictures for ya because I was taking video and didn't see anything that really caught my eye.  The scenery is incredible - everything is green.  A color this AZ guy isn't real use to.

About 11 miles in we crossed the Alex Frazer bridge - it was sweet.  I took, what I hope is good, video of us riding across it.

Thanks to Allison for helping guides us through Canada and all her work on setting up the start of our Ride.  Thanks to Kelly for providing us the route from YVR to the border.

The border crossing went smooth.  They didn't make anyone unpack the vehicles.  Ok, the bikes did get separated from the SAGs but the craziest thing happened.  The bikers found a nice place to chill and all of a sudden Rachel drives by.  Then, about 30 minutes later, while we are eating pizza, Jer H drives by.  We finished are pizza, Thanks Tom!, and headed to Bellingham.

Oh yeah, we had another passerby stop and donate to the cause.  He passed us while we were stopped for a snack in Canada.  He turned around, rolled down his window, handed Rachel some money and said "Thanks for what you are doing.  My Dad had PD."  It is moments like this that encourage me to keep going.  Not that Dad isn't enough of a reason, but when a stranger approaches you and says Thanks for what you are doing because my relative has/had PD, the encouragement is humbling and empowering.

Today - I rode for Dad.  The man is incredible.  He has a bum knee, damaged ribs and PD and still road well beyond exhaustion.  Thanks Dad for being a role model of perseverance.  Kudos to you for an amazing day of riding.