Rusty Crank Coast to Coast Bicycle Tour across the USA on the ACA TransAM Route

TransAm Day #54 July 20, 2018 Council, ID - Oxbow, OR 66 Miles Ride Time 5:15 Hours Tour Total  Miles 3834 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180720-0725-75407 I camped last night at Courthouse Hill Park, in Council. The grass there is manually watered and there were no automatic sprinklers. My laundry was dry on the line and I had fresh clean clothing this morning. I once again left before Scott and Eileen were through with snuggle time. It was still chilly out, and I started my ride wearing a sweater. I wanted to beat the heat.  On my way out of town, I stopped at the Shell station for a fake cappuccino, an orange juice, and a prepackaged cherry tart. I sat out on the curb as the sun was coming up and looked at all the sores on my legs. I haven’t had this many bumps, cuts, scrapes, and abrasions since I was a kid. That said, following yesterday’s shower and shave, I feel like a new man. Even my ears are clean.  Yesterda...

TransAm Day #55 July 21, 2018 Oxbow, OR - Baker City, OR 72 Miles Ride Time 6:48 Hours Tour Total  Miles 3924 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180721-0627-53850 I made it through the night without any earthquakes or flash floods below the dam at Idaho Power Company Copperfield Park. That said, this morning about 6am, an old familiar nightmare reoccurred. I heard sprinklers, which now produces a terrifying jolt (I haven’t slept in a hammock since Kremmling). But wait! I was in a designated paid campground. How could this be? There were definitely sprinklers going off near my tent. Wtf? I always learn from my mistakes and I adapt quickly. Now when I go to bed at night, absolutely all of my panniers are battened shut no matter where I am. Sprinklers were indeed spraying all over the place. My gear was secure. My saddle cover was in place. I was golden. That said, Scott and Eileen were soaked.  We had made a great pasta dinner l...

TransAm Day #56 July 22, 2018 Baker City, OR - Prairie City, OR 70 Miles Ride Time 5:56 Hours Tour Total  Miles 3997 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180722-0650-65553 I woke to the terrifying sound of sprinklers in Warm Showers host Gayle’s backyard. My tent was pitched right up against the fence with her neighbor, and I definitely heard water spraying on the other side. I crawled out of my tent and noticed that Lauren and Allie were already gone. Walker was busy packing.  Walker and I had coffee with Gayle while Scott and Eileen slept in. I played fetch with Ruby, aiming for Eileen’s tent with the rubber ball. My stuff sack for my silk sleeping bag liner has ripped open. One more tour casualty. I put air in my tires this morning. They both really needed it. Maintenance is an effort and I am tired when I reach my destinations. Yesterday was brutal. Lauren and Walker had broken it down into two days. I went for breakfast at ...

TransAm Day #57 July 23, 2018 Prairie City, OR - Dayville, OR 47 Miles Ride Time 3:12 Hours Tour Total  Miles 4043 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180723-1004-17805 I slept well on the carpet next to the broken hot tub and Scott’s smelly shoes on the ground floor level at Warm Showers host Jimi’s house in Prairie City. Lauren and Walker got up early and left. They didn’t even say goodbye to Jimi, which upset him. This morning I repaired my stuff sack, shaved, and clipped all my nails. That said, today I’m wearing the same riding clothes as yesterday. There’s a washing machine at the church where we’ll be staying in Dayville.  I left two rubber sink stoppers at Jimi’s. The larger one was part of my original kit, and Steve G gave me the smaller one. I haven’t used either. Rubber stoppers aren’t necessary for this trip. Sinks can stopped up for washing with a sock or underwear. Prairie City has the weirdest business hours. Las...

TransAm Day #58 July 24, 2018 Dayville, OR - Mitchell, OR 43 Miles Ride Time 3:45 Hours Tour Total  Miles 4087 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180724-0720-19500 I slept well in my tent, pitched out back of the Dayville Community Church. Last night all six westbounders traded adventure stories in the community room. I lubed and cleaned my chain, took a shower, and did laundry.  It was warm out when I went to bed, and I left my fly entrance wide open. Both my pairs of underwear were in the washer, and I was 99% sure that no one would see me buck naked in my tent. It got a little chilly as the night wore on, and I progressed to my silk liner, and later my sleeping bag. Early in the morning I kept waking up thinking I needed to put the wet laundry into the dryer. Once the sun came up I could hear traffic on the highway, so I got up. Eileen had put our wash in the dryer before she went to bed, so all my clothes were clean and read...

TransAm Day #59 July 25, 2018 Mitchell, OR - Prineville, OR 69 Miles Ride Time 5:53 Hours Tour Total  Miles 4156 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180725-0913-83654 I slept well in my tent last night in the Lions Club City Park in Mitchell. I set up my tent without the fly because it was too hot. I was concerned that it would rain, even though there were stars in the sky. I was camping alongside a creek and could hear water gurgling all night long.  I was up before my traveling companions. Another couple camping next to me had Trader Joe’s bags, a sign that I was nearing the coast and familiar territory. Nothing in Mitchell was open except for the grocery store. The proprietor told me that her husband, a judge, had ran off with a twenty-three year old. Scott and I split a box of cereal and milk. We ate our breakfast at a picnic table in the park.  Right out of Mitchell, Scott and I made a detour to the Painted Hills whic...

TransAm Day #60 July 26, 2018 Prineville, OR - Bend, OR 51 Miles Ride Time 3:56 Hours Tour Total  Miles 4207 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180726-0956-00102 I slept well in my tent last night in Phil and Robin’s backyard in Prineville. By a tremendous stroke of luck, Phil had recognized us last night at the Ochoco Brewery. It was getting late, and we still hadn’t found a place to stay for the night. There wasn’t a campground in town, and we were unable to find a Warm Showers host that would take three cyclists.  We had met Phil nine days ago at a breakfast stop in Lowell, ID. He was fly fishing and rafting with friends, and had talked to us about our trip. He had recommended that we go to the Ochoco brewery when we got to Prineville. By blessing of trail magic Phil recognized us last night and invited us to stay at his house. I slept without a fly on my tent, and it got a little chilly in the middle of the night. This morning...

TransAm Day #61 July 27, 2018 Bend, OR - Scott Lake, OR 54 Miles Ride Time 4:44 Hours Tour Total  Miles 4262 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180727-0838-27714 Yesterday afternoon, after downing a thousand ice teas, I headed over to the Bend Brewery, where I sampled their Outback Amber Ale and an order of nachos. Scott, Eileen, and Klaus showed up for some more sampling. It was getting late and we still didn’t have a place to stay. There weren’t any campgrounds in Bend, and we couldn’t find a Warm Showers host that would take four people.  Just then, a woman named Lauren came over to our table and asked if we needed a place to stay. The trail magic was with us two nights in a row. Before going to Lauren’s, we went to Pho Viet & Cafe for my first Vietnamese food and shrimp since New York. Bend is a great town, and I can see what all the hype is about.  After dinner we rode over to Lauren’s place. It was a full moon a...