2025 Trike Tour Planning and Spokumbent Retreat 2024

 

Reflective heron flying

Mt St. Helens

Scenic overview high above the Columbia River

After a wonderful week in Portland, visiting friends, I headed north into Washington. I had 2 objectives. Since leaving the desert, I had been traveling north on Hwy 395 to see if this would be a good trike touring route. The route goes along the eastern sierras in California, Oregon, and Washington. It has very little commercial/semi-truck traffic with a wide shoulder, and after what looks to be the 1st 3 days of riding, the scenery is terrific. I was thrilled to see this road is fantastic for cycling, and I am busy plotting a tour for the summer of 2025. Portland won't be on my tour, and so I drove east toward Pendleton, Oregon, where I would restart the route north. Hopefully, the route will continue to be as inspiring as it has been. 

I have seen only 2 small sections that have me concerned. There are 2 days of riding in the desert when I get on Hwy 395, where there is nothing but shrub bushes and grasses. For the 1st 2 nights of touring, I can see very run-down motel options, but there will probably be 2 nights of stealth camping. I'm not a huge fan of stealth camping only because I have difficulty sleeping. My imagination always hears animals rummaging outside my tent at night. I saw many dirt roads that turn away from Highway 395 where I could ride 1/2 mile, or more, to put distance between me and the highway traffic noise. I saw some water tanks and small electrical grid buildings I could use as shelter. This will be especially helpful if there is wind, and this area, typically, gets a lot of wind. 

I expect the trike tour to start in early May of 2025, and there may be higher temps than over the winter months. However, when I drove this section in the middle of May, temperatures were very reasonable. The topography is interesting, and once I get to Inyokern, Lone Pine, and then Manzanar, where the historic Japanese Internment camps from WWII are located, there is moderate climbing, and lava rock formations become visible. The ride is stunningly beautiful from here, with creeks and lakes and plenty of bonafide camping opportunities.

The 2nd not-so-great section is a 60-mile stretch from Lee Vining to Coleville. This section is actually part of the Sierra Cascades Adventure Cycling Route. It is, in fact, a state biking route with signs letting traffic know to expect bikes. As Highway 395 winds its way next the Swaugher Creek, sometimes the shoulder disappears. The only parts I'm worried about are uphill sections where my speed will be slower. Sometimes, a metal guard rail prevents bikers from any chance of getting off the road. This also happens during downhill sections but, in those sections, I can ride at traffic speeds and take the lane. Posted speeds on this winding part of Highway 395 will be slower, but many blind turns were scary to negotiate even while driving. This section will be stressful on the trike. I plan to get an earlier start to miss the heavier trafficked times of the day. Even though the traffic will be something to watch, the scenery is breathtakingly beautiful. This area is the gateway to Yosemite, and the whole route is gorgeous. Otherwise, the rest of the route, all the way from the desert, feels safe for cycling. It has fascinating histories to explore, with many drone and photography opportunities. Small towns dot the way for supply refills, motels, and camping options. Hwy 395 has everything a touring cyclist could ask for. I am much more excited about this tour than my last tour across the US.

I drove north from Goldendale in Washington to Wenatchee, mainly on Highway 97, and I loved the drive. There were very low-traffic roads through farmland. Unfortunately, there were few camping opportunities, and I had to climb up a steep, unpaved road that I didn't think would be fun on my trike. It wasn't fun in my truck pulling a trailer. I'll change this route for the tour to follow Highways 240 and 28 west of Richland, past the Hanford Reach National Monument, and along the Columbia River into Wenatchee. 

Street corner near Robin and Chris

View from Chris and Robin's beautiful home on the Columbia River

Video cycling with Robin, Chris, and Ryan on a hand cycle

Attending the Spokumbent Retreat has been on my bucket list but, unfortunately, I could not find a campsite. There are 2 state parks on the trail and an RV park in town. All were full during the event. I was very fortunate that my friends Dave and Edna called Chris and Robin in Wenatchee, out of the blue, a month before the event. They were driving to Canada and decided to stop in and say 'hi'. Edna mentioned that I wanted to go to Spokumbent but needed a place for my RV trailer, and Chris and Robin offered to let me park at their home. You just never know what will happen next, do you? They have a beautiful home right on the Columbia River, and my trailer fit like a glove. I really enjoyed getting to know Robin and Chris better. They are big into cycling and ride almost everyday all year. We did a few very fun rides together. Robin and Chris didn't know about Spokumbent and we were able to enjoy the weekend riding with the group.

Nest at Chris and Robin's home.

Most of the attendees

Regroup at the Pipeline Bridge

Video of the Spokumbent Retreat 2024

Spokumbent is a newer event put on by the Spokumbent Cycling Group. This is a very active group from Spokane, Washington. I've known most members from attending Tater TOT in Idaho and the Recumbent Retreat in Oregon. It was wonderful to meet up and ride with this group at their event based out of Wenatchee Confluence State Park. The park has direct access to the Apple Capital bike trail and also an easy ride into downtown. There were about 25 trikers in attendance, and I had a great time. The trail goes along the Columbia River through farmland and cherry orchards with lots of wildlife sightings, such as eagles, cardinals, osprey, deer and marmot. Dates for next year will be posted soon, and the event is expected to be held at the same state park. Check the Spokumbent Facebook Group Page for more info. I'll make this event part of my trike tour next summer! I hope to see y'all there!!

Spring Driving to Crescent City and then North to Portland

 

Panorama out the trailer door

View from Lone Pine, CA on Hwy 395

I have been very busy traveling and am, finally, getting around to updating my travel journal. I love my blog and have kept it since I first started trike touring in 2007. At the moment, we are deep into summer and I am traveling with my RV. Over the last 2 months, I have met up with lots of fun people, family and friends. So much has happened that I am going to do a few journal posts to get caught up.

I left the oasis in the desert of Southern California as temps started to rise to escape the heat. I really appreciate Joni's hospitality and friendship. She generously lets me park my RV for a few months during the best time of year in the desert, especially for cycling. I love riding with my local triking friends as well. Harry, who owns the bike shop, TriABike, offers regularly scheduled rides in the area. Church, where I am parked, is a 6-mile ride to the bike shop, and I love meeting up with new people and local riders. Some are on uprights, and some are on trikes. Some with e-assist and some without. This winter was much cooler than usual in the desert. It was also so windy that many of our rides were canceled. The dust in the air was a bigger issue than the actual wind. Sometimes, the air quality was very unhealthy. 

With spring in full swing, I left southern California. Essentially, the summer months will be spent traveling between 3 triking events. First will be the Spokumbent Retreat in Washington, then Tater TOT in Idaho and the summer will wind down with my favorite event in Oregon, the Recumbent Retreat. I will be writing up a few blog posts to cover all of it. As usual, my travels typically seek places to ride my trike.

My RV trailer is a Nash 17k that I bought new in 2019. Hard to believe, but the Ford F150 truck and trailer are almost five years old. They both have been a terrific investment. It is my first RV, and has only 17 feet of living space. I still love it. I continue to be surprised at how comfortable I am in such a small living space. It's like a cozy little nest. The other thing that surprises me is that I still haven't done anything really stupid. Knock on wood, this continues to be the case.

Parked in front of sis's place

Fun with Taryn and Tracey, friends from high school

From the desert, I had tentative plans to stop at the Bristlecone forest, Yosemite and Redding to ride the wonderful trail to Shasta dam. There had been a late spring storm that dumped lots of snow in the Sierra Mountains. The roads to the Bristlecone Forest and Yosemite were still closed when I arrived in the area. I continued on to Redding as a heatwave approached. I drove up Hwy 395 to Susanville and then cut across Shasta National Forest with lots of snow on the side of the road at higher elevation. Redding had it's first heat wave of the summer just as I pulled into town. With temps near 100 degrees, riding the trail was out of the question. This is a terrific trail with a short riding season. Since the central valley was so hot, I decided to head to the coast to visit my sister. She was having high school friends visit and I knew this would be a fun time.  I ended up spending 3 weeks with my sister. We both love taking photos and went on lots of hikes. She lives in Crescent City, which is on the coast and surrounded by redwood forests. 

fluffy flower

Osprey with flounder catch

Battery Point Lighthouse Crescent City

I also enjoyed the pickleball scene in Crescent City. There are indoor courts at the fairgrounds, and they offer drop-in times. Everyone was very inviting and patient with me as a newer player. I think this is typical of pickleball courts and the reason I picked up the sport. One of the downsides of RV life is all the sitting—sitting while driving and then sitting at the campsites. I find all the driving, especially solo, to be very exhausting.  By the time I get set up in a campsite, I am ready to relax and unwind even though it feels like all I have done is sit for a few hours. With this trip, I wanted to see if I could shorten the driving time so I would have more energy for pickleball and, possibly, short hikes to break up the day. Unfortunately, I did not accomplish this goal with road closures on the drive north on Hwy 395 and then the heat in Redding. Hopefully, I can shorten the daily driving time and this will change. I have pickleball paddles, balls, and shoes in the trailer. I look forward to finding courts and people to play with as I travel. 

Ready for Pickleball in Crescent City

I love the logo

After visiting my sister, I went to Florence, Oregon, to stay at the home of my very dear friends, Connie and Bill. I just love these people and am always giddy at the thought of seeing them. Bill is over 80 years old and rides his trike, Penny, daily. We had a fabulous time, and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with them.

Reflective heron

Plover

Cat's ear

Wine tasting in the Willamette Valley with tennis friends Diane and Jana

From Florence, I drove to Portland and was able to park my trailer at friends Dave and Edna because their trailer was in the shop. Nothing like timing. I lived and worked in Portland for over 20 years and know lots of people. I got together with tennis and other friends for over a week. I stayed with my friend, Diane, who just moved into a new home with a view of 4 mountains. I went to many wonderful restaurants with friends, wineries, and the Japanese garden, as well as doing a few rides with my 'Portland Posse' recumbent buddies. The weather was terrific, and the time in Portland went quickly. 

Video of Ride with the Portland Posse

From Portland, I slowly made my way to Wenatchee, Washington to attend the Spokumbent Recumbent Retreat. I will talk about that in the next blog post. Stay tuned....