William's Web Home
This site provides me an opportunity play with some simple web site design ideas and communicate with family, friends, colleagues and those that discover this site. The home page will contain periodic entries including my activities, thoughts and other things that interest me.
Cycling Washington
Posted 7.25.10
In July I took part in Cycle Washington put on by the Adventure Cycling Association. Adventure Cycling planned the trip, prepared our meals, transported our equipment and provided support during each day's ride. Our job was to pitch and take down our tents, sleep, eat and ride. The Cycle Washington staff did a great job in organizing and running the ride and the food was fantastic.
The Plan
- Day 1: Stevens Pass to Wenatchee covering 55 miles with 1100 feet of climbing.
- Day 2: Wenatchee to Alta Lake State Park near Pateros covering 65 miles with 2785 feet of climbing.
- Day 3: Alta Lake State Park to Winthrop covering 40 miles with 1545 feet of climbing.
- Day 4: Winthrop to Rockport covering 100 miles with 5630 feet of climbing.
- Day 5: Rockport to Bay View State Park covering 55 miles with 880 feet of climbing.
- Day 6: Bay View State Park to Langley covering 75 miles with 3020 feet of climbing.
- Day 7: Langley to the finish in Redmond covering 50 miles with 2075 feet of climbing.
- Totals: 440 miles and 17,035 feet of climbing
The Experience
This was my second trip with Adventure Cycling having done Cycle Montana last summer. I will describe the adventure in coming days and post a slide show.
Day four, the 100 mile day on Highway 20, was physically challenging and from my point of view the most beautiful of the trip. The weather gods were good to us and provided a near perfect day with little wind. The morning was cool and sunny as we climbed to Washington Pass. The afternoon was warm but we were decending by that time.
The first 30 miles climbed from Winthrop at 1800 feet to Washington Pass at 5480 feet. The first 15 miles had a gentle grade that allowed me average slightly over a 11mph to the water break. The next 7 miles averaged about 3% with a short section in the middle that was almost flat. We then had a 2.5 mile section that was a mixture of flat and downhill. The final 7 miles averaged 5.3%. The climbes were as evenly graded as any that I have ever ridden making it possible to settle into a steady rythm. I was able to average 5mph during the last section with four stops in the last 2 miles to take pictures.
I started about a half hour before Marina, Clem and Susan and they caught me about 1.5 miles from the top. We rejoined at lunch at the Washington Pass visitor center and stayed together for the remainder of the day.
The views climbing to Washingtom Pass from the East are spectacular. During the last 7 miles you have constant views of the rocky snow covered mountains that surround you. From the visitor center at Washington Passyou can take a short hike to an overlook that provides a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains and the road you have just riden up, as seen in the following photo.
After lunch we had a fast 4 mile decent and then a 1 mile climb to Rainy Pass at 4855 feet. This was the most beautifull section of the decent as you were still surrounded by rocky snow covered mountains. After Rainey Pass the ride was steadily downhill for the remiaining 65 miles with four one mile climbes provided to make sure that you were paying attention. During this 65 miles you were surrounded by lush forests, sometimes followed streams, had long vistas to a snow covered mountain, and saw two beautiful green lakes and Gorge Falls.
As the day wore on we began to focus on two goals to kept us motivated. The first was fudge at Newhalem at mile 72. From there the road provided a very gentle downhill for the next 20 miles. We formed a pace line and cranked out 14 to 15mph while focusing on milkshakes at Cascadian Farms just 8 miles short of our destination. Both were delicious and much needed. I think that we all felt very tired and pleased with what we had experienced and accomplished this day.
Complete Retirement
Posted 6.5.10
As of June 11th I will be comletely retired. I retired from Cal Poly in 2007 but continued to work part time. It has been a good transition for me but now it is time to embrace the next phase of my life.
Bottled Water
Posted 6.5.10
I recently came across a water statistic that caught my attention: it takes 3 lliters of water to make one liter of bottled water. The use of bottled water is nuts. For more information, the statistic came from the Pacific Institute web site at their Bottled Water and Energy, A Fact Sheet
New Year Images
Posted 1.1.10
The following images are from our visit to Carbondale, CO for Christmas with the kids and grand kids. Julie took the images on Christmas day.
Left To Right: Julie, Misty, Peter, Otter, Tucker Mac, Betsy, Shane, Janis, William & Louisa Wren
Grandpa & Louisa Wren
Janis & William (Click on the picture to download a higher resolution image)
Cycling Montana
Posted 7.16.09
In June I took part in Cycle Montana put on by the Adventure Cycling Association. This road trip took six days and covered 355 miles in western Montana. Adventure Cycling planned the trip, provided all meals, transported our equipment each day and provided support during each day's ride including a mechanic. Our job was to pitch and take down our tents, sleep, eat and ride. The Cycle Montana staff did a great job in organizing and running the ride and the food was fantastic. I plan on taking part in other Adventure Cycling rides in the future.
The Plan
- Day 1: Target Range Elementary School in Missoula to Darby High School in Darby covering 65 miles with 2300 feet of climbing.
- Day 2: Darby to Jackson Hot Springs in Jackson covering 75 miles with 5300 feet of climbing.
- Day 3: Jackson to Fairmont Hot Springs covering 75 miles with 2300 feet of climbing.
- Day 4: Fairmont Hot Springs to Philipsburg covering 40 miles with 2000 feet of climbing.
- Day 5: Philipsburg to Bearmouth covering 60 miles with 2300 feet of climbing.
- Day 6: Bearmouth to the start in Missoula covering 40 miles with 700 feet of climbing.
- Totals: 355 miles and 14,900 feet of climbing
The Experience
This was the first bicycle trip I had ever taken so I was apprehensive going into the adventure but learned not only that I could meet the physical challenge but really enjoyed the experience. I took my Catrike Expedition and learned that it was an excellent choice given its comfort and gearing. I was able to climb the hills without strain and enjoyed rocketing down the great descents.
Day one started in a light drizzle and remained cloudy until about lunch in Victor. After lunch we had a sunny period as we traveled on the back roads from Victor to Hamilton where the afternoon water stop was located. This stretch took us away from Highway 93 and was the most beautiful section of the day's cycling. Shortly after leaving Hamilton the rain arrived along with a flat that I had the joy of changing in the rain. Once underway again, the rain became heavier and we took shelter in a mostly empty hay barn just off the road. It turned out that the seven of us that took shelter (myself, Kathleen, Ernest, Robert and, Laura from the SLOBC and Pattie and Bill from Pennsylvania) bonded and really enjoyed each other's company for the remainder of the trip. Once the storm had passed, the ride to Darby was pleasant but both Pattie and I had flats.
Day two started with broken clouds but was pleasant as we began with some trepidation about the 5,300 feet of climbing that was ahead of us. The road gently gained elevation to Sula where the morning water stop was located. From Sula we began the 12 mile 2,500 foot climb to Lost Trail Pass located at 6,990 feet. The group soon separated into smaller units as each found their comfortable climbing pace. Kathleen, Laura and I were the slowest of our small band but made steady progress. The weather changed gradually as we climbed but at about 4 miles from the top it began changing more rapidly. We stopped and put on our rain gear as the first sprinkles began. The rain became light hale and then by about 3 miles from the top transitioned into a driving snow storm. Climbing at about 4 miles per hour meant we had about 45 minutes to an hour of riding in the snow ahead of us.
As the SAG vehicles made trip after trip taking riders to the top, Kathleen, Laura and I forged on with grim determination. About a mile from the top Laura's hands were so cold she could not operate her bike and had to get a ride but Kathleen and I pushed on and arrived at the top wet, cold but victorious. Looking back it was an adventure that will always be remembered.
Fortunately, there was a heated visitor center and restrooms at the top that were filled with riders getting warm and drying their cloths. The electric hand dryers in the restrooms helped us dry our cloths. I now love those hand dryers. It took about 45 minutes to dry our cloths and eat lunch. It turned out that this also resulted in the storm passing and blue sky appearing. Kathleen and I decided to go for it and set out to climb the mile over Chief Joseph Pass and then drop down into Big Hole Valley. It was a fantastic downhill through a beautiful valley but as we arrived at Big Hole National Battlefield the next rain clouds arrived. The staff at the battlefield were great and ran the video for us as we waited. When we emerged from the theatre, the rain had stopped so Kathleen and I decided to make a run to Wisdom. We made plans for the SAG vehicle to meet us at Wisdom and set off. We had a strong wind at our backs and had a great ride into Wisdom and SAG ride into Jackson. What an adventure!
We awoke on day three to frost on our tents but it warmed quickly and the remainder of the trip had beautiful warm and sunny days. Day three's route from Jackson to Fairmont Hot Springs (east of Anaconda) was perhaps the most beautiful portion of the trip. The highlight was the ride along Hwy. 569 as it climbed to the continental divide and then dropped down to Hwy. 1 providing a fantastic descent.
On day four we traveled from Fairmont Hot Springs to Philipsburg. This was a short 40 mile day that allowed us to spend the afternoon in the small historic town of Philipsburg eating ice cream and candy and generally being tourists. The ride went through the copper mining town of Anaconda on highway 1 and climbed to Georgetown Lake for lunch. From there we had a great curving downhill descent followed by a fast relatively flat run into Philipsburg.
Day five took us from Philipsburg to Bearmouth Chalet located beside Interstate 90. The ride from Philipsburg to Drummond was gently downhill and flat. We stopped just outside of Drummond to visit Bill Ohrmann's Museum and gallery. We met Bill and saw his delightful steel sculptures and primitive paintings with a clear philosophical point of view. It was a great stop.
After lunch in Drummond there was a choice to go directly to Bearmouth or to climb up highway 271 to the pass and descend back down. Bill and I choose to take this challenge and it was worth the effort. The ride up was through a beautiful narrow valley with great views at the top. The descent was fun but after reaching the bottom and turning westt on the frontage road along Interstate 90 we discovered that we had 15 miles of riding into a stiff head wind to get to Bearmouth. It was a long 15 miles. After arriving, we found the others already ensconced in the bar at Bearmouth Chalet. It turned out that I was so tired and dehydrated that about two sips into my margarita found a silly grin appearing on my face. The drinks and dinner tasted so good.
The final day was a 40 mile ride back to our start point. This was the least picturesque portion of the ride but you have to get home some way. The trip was capped with Bill, Pattie, Laura, Richard, Kathleen, Ernest and myself meeting for drinks on the deck of the Double Tree -Edgewater Hotel overlooking the Clark Fork River. We then walked to Ciao Mambo for a great Italian dinner followed by a walk across the street to Big Dipper Ice Cream for dessert and then back to the hotel for goodbyes. I am ready do do another trip. Great friends, great adventures and beautiful scenery.
Go to the Cycle Montana Photo Album