June 6, 2000
We spent the last two days shouting at one another. Either I was not doing what Mary Kay wanted done or Mary Kay was not doing what I wanted done. The day before we left got up at 7:45 but we did not get to bed until after 11:00 PM. Mary Kay had to make a number of telephone calls and a number of people called to wish us well on our trip. In addition, we had to fill all the water bottles with water, pack all the electronic equipment, pack cold weather clothing that we will need to cross the Rocky Mountains in Idaho and Montana, and pack the clothing that we will need every day. We also realized that we had to mail some more packages. So we wrapped some in birthday paper and then wrapped them in shipping paper. Others we just wrapped in shipping paper. This morning I made a run to the post office at 7:15 AM.
We got up at 6:30 AM. At 7:00 AM our doorbell rang. It was our friend Becky Bechtold stopping to say goodbye before we left. She could not stay very long because she had to get to work. At 8:45 AM we had two addition well wishers (Heidi and Mary). In the meantime, Mary Kay had to wash the bedding so it would be clean for the people who are going to stay in our house while we are traveling. Their name is Thomson.
At 9:15 we finally had the bike loaded. Mary Kay wanted pictures of the start of our “great” adventure. So Heidi used our digital camera to take some pictures of us leaving. However, that required that we turn around, go back home, and retrieve the digital camera. We made the first turn successfully. As we were turning around again to head in the direction we wanted to go we came close to crashing. Mary Kay again got the worst of the injuries. She got a small skinned elbow and grease from the chain all over her leg. We did get the digital camera.
We headed back up 4th street to Interstate 182. Got on the interstate and again headed east for about 1 mile until we came to the Kahlotus highway. This is a county road that goes between Pasco and Kahlotus WA. The direction of travel is generally north. The first hill of the trip happens within a mile. It is a shot but steep hill that requires us to use the granny gear. If we were not carrying an extra 60 pounds of clothing, rain gear, food, etc. on the back of the bike we could have gone up the hill without using the granny gear. The road passes through irrigated farmland. One irrigated farm after another. However, the land is not flat and we were climbing all the time. Sometimes we go down a hill and immediately start up another hill (this is called a roller) that ends up being higher than the one we just came down.
After a while the farmland changes as we have been climbing and now the land is too high to irrigate. It is too far to water and it is too expensive to pump water to this elevation from the Snake River (the closest available water). We were now in an area where all the farms grow dry land wheat. Every field either has wheat growing or has nothing growing so that water can be conserved for the next year’s crop. For a farmer to grow 1000 acres of wheat every year, he must farm 2000 acres of land. In the middle of one of the wheat fields sits an old one room school house. We stop and take a picture. This is the school house used in the file “Basket”. As we continue to climb, I look back and see the road behind us and Mary Kay takes my picture by the bike.
Later on another hill, as we try to shift into the granny the chain jumps off the sprocket and Jim cusses. In order to get the chain back onto the sprocket, you must grab the chain and place it on the sprocket, which results in black oil all over your hands. It takes 30 seconds to replace the chain and 5 minutes to clean the hands. Several miles later, just as we were about to go down a hill, we attempted to shift into the big chain ring. The chain again over shifted and jumped off the sprocket. This is a worse situation because the chain is now jammed between the big chain ring and the sprocket that transmits the power from the captain to the rear wheel. You again get very dirty hands except it can take 5 or 10 minutes of very angry words to get the chain unjammed.
About 2:40 PM we arrived in Kahlotus. We looked for a restaurant and did not see one. We went the length of town and finally asked if there was some place where we could get food. They sent us back into town. And we missed finding the restaurant again. As we attempted to turn around in the highway, Mary Kay did not turn and we ended up cross wise in the middle of the right lane. Jim always gets angry when that happens and is an excellent shouter when angry. Nothing more needs to be said. We finally got the bike turned around and went back toward town. We turned onto what looked like the main street (Kahlotus is very small) and began looking for the restaurant. We found it and it was a mess. It was close to the restaurant that is your worst nightmare. However, those dying of hunger and riding a bike do not have a lot of options so we each had a large bowl of ice cream and shared an orange drink.
We went on to Washtucna, 13 miles from Kahlotus, on a highway that was used by grain trucks. At least 5 or 6 passed us in the short ride from Kahlotus to Washtucna. Where the motel was waiting for us. We traveled 68 miles. Our first day is over and we are tired. As I was standing outside the motel, waiting to get checked in, a highway worker came by and said that he had trouble seeing us. So he gave us a bright yellow and orange vest to put on the back of the bike. People sure are helpful.