Somehow, the heavy-drinking construction dudes managed to leave on time for work at 5 AM. I had a little more trouble, but not as much as Ethan, who had a flat. Apparently it was his 4th - the day before, they had ridden through Hat Rock State Park and witnessed the smoldering hellscape that a recent wildfire had turned it into, and gotten 3 flats in the process. That's why I arrived first. After making sure Ethan had it under control, I left for Walla Walla. I stopped to read some historical markers on the side of the road, most of which marked places where white people murdered large numbers of native people.
On entering Walla Walla, I stopped at Dora's Mexican Food and discovered that horchata is hands-down the best thing to drink when biking: simple carbs for quick energy, more complex carbs for energy later, water for hydration, and creamy sweet spice flavor for generally deliciousness. I rode from there to the Walla Walla University campus, hoping that the college students would know what's up in town. Unfortunately, it's a Seventh Day Adventist university. Worse, it's summer. Ethan and Jon rode by while I was trying to follow some convoluted directions to a laundromat, so I abandoned that quest to catch them. We rode past a sign that said "FREE LUNCH FRIDAY", which I demanded that we explore. The lunch was delicious and mostly free, though we did have to pay by getting lectured about Jesus, which wasn't so bad. I'm well-practiced at that.
Finally, the New Yorkers talked me into getting a hotel room for a lazy day here. We did laundry, hit the bike shop, wandered around Whitman University -- much more interesting than Walla Walla U -- and now I'm writing from Marcy's Coffehouse, which has some excellent live music outside and is a pretty hopping bar scene even at 11:30 PM. I'll be going to sleep shortly after this, leaving for Pomeroy in the morning, hopefully, and Clarkston/Lewiston the next day. After that, it's the approach to Lolo Pass, which is going to be a killer.
I can't remember if I mentioned before you left, but I recommend running "thorn-proof" inner tubes on long trips. They add a bit of weight, but you never have to worry about pinch flats, and they'll stand up to sharp objects that might otherwise leave you with a flat.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty happy just running normal tubes inside good tires. Haven't had a single issue since using actual touring tires, and I run near the highest rated pressure for these (26" x 1.5" at ~80 PSI, front is Specialized Nimbus, back is Panaracer Tourguard Plus). Most anything that makes it through these tires will probably also get through a thick tube.
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