April 21-24

The 21st, Easter Sunday, was a bluebird day. Beautiful weather to do some climbing. Up and over Dixie Pass and Blue Mountain Pass, then down to Unity Lake to camp for the night. The 22nd started out fine, but when we stopped in Unity to pick up dog food for Jax, all they had was one 50 lb. bag. The closest place that might have a “bike-sized” bag of food was 65 miles away and poor Jax would be hosed if they didn’t (he’s not a fan of Clif Bars). Not to worry, the wonderful cashier at the Burnt River Market called her wonderful boss, who brought over two large ziplock bags of dog food and a couple of dog treats as well!

Meanwhile, Gorden, a customer at the store, made a donation to K9s For Warriors after I told him why we were riding. Then Matt, a military veteran from a family of military veterans, took the time to share his story with me and also to warn me that we could expect to encounter Goathead thorns (excellent tire-flatteners) with greater frequency as we moved south. As we talked, I noticed one of the trailer tires was bulging out from the rim. Those tires obviously aren’t made for touring. I decided to re-seat the tire, clean and lube the bike while we waited for dog food. Mileage total for the day: 5. We camped behind the store. Everyone we met in Unity was friendly and interested in our trip and in the motivation behind it — K9s For Warriors.

On the 23rd, we rode 65 miles to Vale, our last camping spot in Oregon. Today, the 24th, we woke up to another flat trailer tire. I found and removed the thorn, patched the tire and headed for Parma, Idaho, where we are staying at the Morningwood Ranch, the dog-friendliest place ever, owned by my longtime friend Jim Jolly. My bike is at Rolling H Cycles getting a new chain, thorn-resistant inner tubes, Kevlar tire liners and tire sealant just in case something makes it through all that armor. Wesley at Rolling H, a.k.a. “The Derailleur Whisperer,” promises to end my derailleur problems forever, or for quite awhile, whichever comes first. 🙂 The flimsy trailer tires are being replaced with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, Kevlar liners and sealant in the tubes. These improvements, along with much-flatter terrain, should help us make faster progress toward Florida. Fingers crossed! Here’s a video recap of the last few days: