Day 5: The Road Less Graveled

Well, things keep going wrong, but I’m learning and still making progress. I woke up to find my troublesome front tire completely flat. I decided to deal with it before getting going, hoping to avoid yesterday’s dilemma of constantly having to stop to reinflate. It’s a good thing I did, since there was definitely a hole in the tube, and it wasn’t due to a loose valve stem like I thought. Once I had the tube replaced, I vowed to get the rim issue taken care of at the next bike shop I found.

But, thanks to technology, when I turned on Google Maps, it suggested a different route than the one I had originally put into my bike computer. According to Google, the new route would be the same distance, but “This route has fewer hills.” Perfect! Maybe I can make up some time.

As I rode on my newfound route, I quickly gained altitude and at one point was 12 feet short of 2000 ft. And, that wasn’t the end of the long rolling hills! Yesterday’s tailwind was now a harsh headwind, and these roads were bumpy, gravely and in general, very difficult to keep up a good pace. It was KILLING my time, and then just as I was about to turn downwind, I hit a dirt road. With all the weight on my bike, I couldn’t possibly navigate this road for another 7 miles (which is what my map showed), I would have to get off and PUSH! Also, at this point, I had no cell service, so I couldn’t even look for another route. I had to double back, climbing a crazy steep hill until I found cell service. Still, Google Maps wasn’t loading, so I called my Dad, and he helped me plan a paved route through the desolate farm country – nothing but hills and wheat for miles.

Doubling back added lots of miles and time, but I finally got to a paved highway… or rather a hard-packed gravel road, with an extremely thin shoulder, well traveled by fast cars. This was definitely the scariest road I had been on so far. Finally I made it to a bike shop in Walla Walla, Washington, “Allegro Cyclery,” where Michael helped me install new, wider tires. More importantly though, we installed REAL rim tape, replacing my semi-effective duct tape hack. After that, I did a quick grocery run and then had dinner at “Chiquilla’s Mexican Restaurant.” There I enjoyed massive quantities of food and an endless supply of chips & salsa!

I had hoped to make it another 25 to 30 miles today, but after my adventurous day and a full belly, I decided to call it a day, and get to bed early. I got a room at the Super 8 Motel on the east end of Walla Walla, but before bed… I indulged myself with a MUCH needed soak in the hot tub. VIEW PHOTOS –>

Distance: 68.03 Time: 6:04:57
Ascent: 3665
Descent: 2999