Believe
Trip Journal
July 28, 2007: Megan, Michael, Nathan, and Sarah completed the ride from Astoria Oregon to Yorktown Virginia. John is at home recovering well from his gastero intestinal problems. Clare is recovering from her accident but will have to have surgery to insure complete mobility of her left shoulder.
July 14, 2007: Megan, Michael, Nathan, and Sarah are about to cross from Missouri into Illinois.
July 10, 2007: John, who had suffered gastero intestinal problems for a week, flew home for treatment. Megan, Michael, Nathan, and Sarah are pushing on towards Yorktown.
July 1, 2007: As the group was descending from Hoosier Pass Clare crashed. She was airlifted to the Level 1 trauma unit at St Anthony Central Hospital, Denver. She suffered a skull fracture, and fractured both orbits, 3 ribs and her left collarbone. There was some intra cranial bleeding and she had road rash on her arms and belly. She spent 3 days in the Intensive Care Unit, then moved to a recovery room and on July 11 moved into a rehabilitation ward. As of July 13 she is not complaining about any of the physical damage. Her headaches are gradually getting better. She will be discharged from hospital on July 18th and will then go home to South Carolina. She is already talking about coming back to finish the ride when she is fully recovered.
June 30, 2007: Well we've made it to Breckinridge, CO (about 2000 miles) and are taking our first off day. We got into town yesterday and ended up camping in the front yard of the catholic church because the only available rooms were really expensive. Then in the morning a sprinkler went off between our rain fly and the tent so there was standing water in the tent. However, as Michael was sitting on the sidewalk looking homeless someone offered to let us stay at a condo. Before we got in to Breckinridge the riding was great. We were going in the opposite direction as Bike Tour Colorado so we saw a bunch of other riders. Also there was a great bike path between Silverthorne, CO and Breckinridge, CO. Tomorrow we will tackle the eleven miles to the top of the Hoosier Pass (11,542 feet) and then there will be a lot of downhill and riding on the flat (Kansas) for a while. Clare
June 20, 2007: Well, we left Missoula three days ago and are heading for Twin Bridges, MT tonight. Soon after leaving Missoula and heading for Rob and Linda's cabin, Nathan got a flat on a country road, which was better than the alternative: State route 93 ( a fairly high traffic road). We got to spend the night inside and then headed out for Wisdom, MT the next morning. We had heard that there were a lot of mosquitoes there, but were unaware of quite how many there would be. Basically we couldn't stand still for more than 30 seconds without getting swarmed, so we ended up staying at a hotel. Today we have biked into Dillon, MT for lunch and will be heading for Twin Bridges in a little while. Also we have had three of what I consider to be the hardest climbs. The first was yesterday and involved climbing from Sula, MT to Chief Joseph Pass. I can only say that painful doesn't begin to describe it. Today's passes were shorter, but just as steep. We are done with climbing for the day. Clare
June 20, 2007:
Good Day All!
well, it has been quite awhile since I have last sent out an email
update on Team Believe's progress, I apologize. We went through
several areas of limited services and when there were towns with
libraries we either didn't have time to stop or they were already
closed for the day.
So, we have successfully completed more than 1/4 of our journey. We
offically hit the 1,000 mile mark when we rolled into Missoula, MT
about 3 days ago. (the days are all beginning to run together at this
point..)
Since my last email update, we left the great state of OR (which was
quite a big state to cover!) and made our way into Idaho. Eastern
Oregon was nice riding, I was amazed how quickly the topography,
climate, and vegation changed in that area. We rode through Canyons
then would climb up and be back into evergreen forests and then
descend and be back in pasture/ranch lands.
Our entrance into Idaho was quite the welcome - marked by a 13 mile
ascent in 95+ degree heat! After all we were climbing out of Hell's
Canyon so I suppose it was to be expected.. We thought that was the
toughest climb of our trip (heat, no shade, steep roads with no
switchbacks), until we got to Montana!
We covered the state of Idaho in probably about 3.5 days. The
beginning of our leg through Idaho was quite challenging as we
ascended out of Hell's Canyon into the valley surrounded by the
Seven Devil's mountain range. Our ride through the valley was
alongside the Salmon River where we were able to watch rafters and
fishermen. We thought the Valley ride would be easier, however that
whole day we biked against some outrageous head and sidewinds that
did not let up all day. We had to push just to bike down hill! It
was quite the challenge.
To leave the valley we had to climb up Whitebird Hill, a site of a
famous battle between Americans and the Nez Perz Indian Tribe. We
stopped in the small town of White bird for breakfast at the only
restaurant/cafe/bar in town. It was a great experience - some of
the locals started speaking with us and about the purpose for our
trip. They were pretty excited about what we were doing, and when
we went to pay for our meals we were told that the townpersons had
already taken care of our bill! It was a very nice gesture that we
all really appreciated.
After we ascended WhiteBird hill the rest of our trek through Idaho
was less challenging as we followed US Hwy12 alongside the Lochsa
River through US National Park land and the Nez Perz Indian
Reservation. We had several stretches here with limited
services. At one point we had to bike 68 miles before we came
across any food or water.
For our last day in Idaho we decided to kick it up a notch and bike
115 miles in one day so we could position ourselves near Missoula,
MT so we could enjoy 1/2 a day off.
It was quite a challenging day as we biked 65 miles and gained about
1,500 in elevation. Following that we had Lolo Pass, a 4 mile steep
climb which brought us to the border and into Montana.
Montana thus far has been the most gorgeous country I have ever
seen! The white-capped mountains surround us everywhere, and
although the climbing has been very challenging at least the views
are amazing! Yesterday we climbed both Lost Trail Pass (~6,999 ft)
and Chief Joseph Pass (~7,240ft) both of which have historical
significance to the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the battles that
went on between the Indians and the white settlers.
Last night we ended up in this small town called Wisdom, a town big
on its Western/cowboy history. This town is in the Big Hole Canyon,
a region which we came to learn in known for its misquito
problem. We stopped to take a picture and within 5 secs were
literally covered in misquitos, we were forced to keep biking
(fast!) to keep from being eaten alive. When we got to town we
asked the locals about the mosquitos and they said it is always that
bad in this region. We decided to get a hotel room last night so
not be eaten alive!
Today we had two more major climbs and are traveling through parts
of Montana famous for it's Old Western heritage and role in both the
Lewis and Clark Expedition and the frontier railroads.
Within 2 days we should be crossing into Wyoming and entering
Yellowstone National Park.
It's been quite a challenging and exhausting past few weeks, but
like my team mate Michael reminded me as we were climbing up Chief
Joseph Pass yesterday - this is nothing compared to what patients
going through chemotherapy are experiencing... Well put. I
definitely stopped thinking about how tired I was and how much I
hurt, and realized that no matter how hard what we are doing is,
there are people out there that are "climbing" and battling
everyday. We will continue to think of them with each push of the
pedal!
Until next time (and hopefully sooner this time!),
PS: We will try to upload some photos to our website soon, so stay
tuned!
Sarah Breevoort
June 18, 2007: So, we have finished our second week of biking and broke the 1000 mile mark making it into Missoula, MT. After that we took our first rest day which was nice because it was cold and rainy. Since we last updated, we've gone through many passes and had days where we did multiple climbs of over 1000'. The most memorable was probably the day after we left Baker City, OR. On this day we made a three mi climb with a 7% grade almost immediately, and later in the day crossed into Idaho and had to climb 13 mi out of Hell's Canyon. And if you're wondering, the name Hell's Canyon pretty much describes what its like to bike out of it. It was nice to switch states though because it brought a change of scenery and an end to almost constant cattle ranches that were in western OR. I have also borrowed a bike from my uncle and this will be my first day riding the new bike but it already feels better.
June 12, 2007: Dear friends and family,
This has been one wild week so far! Oregon has some very impressive mountains of
which I think most of us were unaware. We battled some cold and rain the first few
days, but everything has cleared up now. We are going to be out of Oregon and into
Idaho today, riding through Hell's Canyon. Last night we were in Baker City, a cool
little town with its own microbrewery. The terrain now turns pretty dry, but the
mountains continue as we make our way into Missoula, Montana in the next week or so.
The scenery on the bike has just been unbelievable - when you are moving so slow,
you really can enjoy it all. The support from people we have encountered along the
way has been supremely positive, as well. We have had some small bike issues
(broken spokes, a few flats) but nothing has sidelined us for too long. I am really
looking forward to the Rockies, and coming down Yellowstone into Wyoming. Some of
the descents down these mountains have just been outrageous - I'm sure we hav!
!e hit 45 or 50 miles an hour at times. We have all been safe, and happy, and I
couldn't ask for this trip to be going any better.
Until next time,
Nathan
Please feel free to email me if you want to learn more.
June 12, 2007: Well friends, Team Believe has now successfully completed leg 2 of our journey!
It was quite a trek which took us from Eugene, OR over the cascade mountains into
the arid desert canyon and back out again. We are now in Baker City, OR - roughly
90 miles shy of the Idaho border.
It has been quite a trek.
We began by climb Mckenzie Pass a 22 mile ascent which took us up into the snow
covered peaks of the Cascade Mountain Range. Beautiful views from the top, but wow,
what an effort it was to get to the top! (especially carrying 30lbs of gear..)
After Mckenzie Pass we sailed down the other side of the mountain into the little
Western town of Sisters, OR. The town was having their annual Rodeo and thus all
campgrounds were full.
Not sure where to sleep for the night, we hung out at the post office eating a 1/2
gallon of ice cream. The local bike shop owner - aware of our situation - offered
us his backyard for the night. Great accomodations, and the next morning we
actually learned that he was the town mayor as well!
Following our stay in Sisters, we biked along the Mckenzie River through the
Willmette Valley. We had several more passes to climb which took us out of the
Valley into the dry desert region of OR. We spent one night in the living Ghost Town
of Mitchell (pop. 140) and then continued our journey through the John Day Fossil
beds, Picture Gorge, and finally (after much climbing!) into the Orgeon Trail town
of Baker City.
From here we will head into Hell's Canyon (what a name!) and onward towards Idaho
and the entrance to the Rockies.
The fundraising effort has been coming along well, Team Believe has made more money
for cancer research through our on line donation system - which has been quite the
motivator as we battle sore bums, hurting knees, and tired legs..
Sarah Breevoort
June 9, 2007: I am in the lovely town of Prineville, OR in the warm library. For the past few days we have been moving along the Cascades. What beautiful mountains! We crossed over at Mckenzie Pass, a 5200+ foot climb. There was something like 27 straight miles uphill. Whew! I had no idea I was capable of doing this, but my legs feel great and it is not as arduous as it is enjoyable. You can definately find some harder climbs around here anyhow; from the peak of Mckenzie we had brilliant views of Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood (hundreds of miles away), and the dual peaks referred to as Sisters. Some of those guys are upwards of 10,000 feet, I think. Ahhh. there is nothing for me quite like some clean, fresh mountain air. At the peak I took a little nap and revisitted On the Road for a while. I have so many moments everyday where I am completely content and at ease; this was definately one of them. Yesterday evening we descended down Mckenzie and looked for a campsite in Sisters, OR. The rodio was in town (population 900 something) and all of the campsites were packed out with RV's and other campsite monstrocities, bad country music filling the air. It was looking like we would have to ride another 20 miles to get to a National Park. Claire's knee was hurting and it was getting dark. Then the owner of the bicycle shop (also the mayor!) told us we could camp in his yard. His place was right next to a park with a grill, waterfountain, and bathroom. It worked out quite well. We are getting more and more efficient everyday, but still fine tuning a few things. I am happy to say that we are eating more veggies and I haven't touched a Snickers bar in 48 hours-quite an achievement in my realm. John Binford
June 9, 2007: We are in our seventh day of cycling and hope to have reached the town of Mitchell
at the end of today. We began our journey in Astoria and proceeded down the coast.
This part of the trip took us through the rainforest (Siuslaw National Forest) and also provided us with some of our more difficult
climbs to date. The weather the first couple of days (cold and rainy) didn't help
to make the riding any easier. However, the scenery has more than made up for any
rough spots. We eventually turned inland and headed toward Eugene where we had our
first hotel day which was much appreciated. Since then we have made one of our
highest ascents going from below 1000' to above 5300' through Mckenzie Pass. Today
we left the town of Sisters where the mayor/bike shop owner let us sleep in his yard
and are heading for the town of Mitchell which is at the bottom of the Ochoco Pass.
This will be one of our longest riding days at almost a hundred miles. Right now we
have covered about 50 mi today. I have really enjoyed the ride so far!! except for the fact that my bike
has a tendency to develop weird noises and goes
through inner tubes like they're going out of fashion. On the bright side, the extra weight of
the bike does allow me to fly down hills which is very fun.
Clare H. Scott
June 9, 2007: We are now into our 7th day of cycling across America and WOW doesn't even come
close to describing our journey thus far.
We began in Astoria and were "broken in" with basically the worse riding conditions
imaginable (in my opinion) - constant rain for days, wind, cold, steep and wet
climbs, heavy pannier bags, and sore knees and legs. Luckily things have gotten a
lot easier as Team Believe has begun to find its groove. The riding conditions have
improved drastically as we moved inland from the Oregeon coast and the roads have
been better. Michael's dad was gracious enough to get us a hotel room in Eugene, OR
so we could wash and dry all our wet and dirty clothing. (we were also super
excited about showering - a real luxury at this point!)
Once we headed out of Eugene we had a scenic ride alongside the Mckenzie river and
one really cold night of camping. Yesterday we tackled Mckenzie Pass - a 22 mile
ascent to a high elevation of ~5200 ft that took us over the Cascades and through
some pretty awesome lava fields.
Today we are pushing onward through Western-style towns and the Oregeonian desert.
We have a few more passes to climb and we will be out of the Cascade Range and on
towards Baker City.
We've thoroughly enjoyed meeting and interacting with the townpeople where ever we
stopped. Except for a few instances everyone has been very friendly and supportive
of our cause. Many people ask us what we are biking for (since they notice the
matching jerseys) and when we tell them it's for cancer research they are super
excited for us.
This trip is by no means easy and it definitely takes a lot of team work, but that
is what is making it so great. Yesterday Michael and I motivated ourselves up and
over Mckenzie Pass - working together to accomplish something like that is truly a
great experience for me. If you put your mind to it there's no holding back!~
Idaho, here we come! Sarah Breevoort
June 8, 2007: We made it over McKenzie Pass, climbing over 5300 feet today. The Pass is still closed to car traffic because of snow, but a single lane has been cleared for bicyclists and pedestrians. We were also passed by a motorcyclist who was kind enough to return a glove that we had dropped. Clare had more problems with her bike, stopping to fix flats twice. Have stopped in Sisters, OR. Tomorrow the plan is to go through Redmond, OR and then over Ochoco Pass and into Mitchell, OR for the night.
June 6, 2007: We left Astoria mid-afternoon on June 3 and made it to Eugene, OR on June 6 - 235 miles in 3 and 1/2 days. The first full day of riding (June 4) was mostly uphill. Thank goodness things leveled out on June 5 & 6. The weather has been a little cool and rainy, but the view is great - beautiful farmland, fields of lavender with mountains in the background. Michael and Clare had flat tires, and Sarah had derailleur problems. Everything got fixed. Have gotten tired of eating Power bars and have moved on to the next best thing, Snickers candy bars.
June 2, 2007: A short bus trip and we've finally made it to our starting point, Astoria, Oregon. All of our bicycles were undamaged and waiting for us at the hotel. Tomorrow we put everything back together and finally get on the road!
June 1, 2007: We've arrived in Portland, Oregon and are spending the night with friends of John.
Believe