Yet another beautiful day today, and yet another beautiful ride.  Oregon has exceeded all expectations thus far.  A somewhat chilly start from John Day, in the low 50s, with overcast skies that kept the morning climbs cool.  Three good climbs today, with the elevation topping out 5,277 feet.  The engineers should have raised the road up a few more feet to get to a mile high.  I suppose my bike seat is about 3 feet off the ground… so maybe that qualifies.

After the first descent, we turned onto Oregon State Highway 7, which had very little traffic and afforded some friendly banter with fellow cyclists.  I enjoyed a nice 5 mile conversation with John from Australia (far right in picture) as we climbed to the top of Tipton Mountain.

The final 15 miles into Baker City were fought against a stiff headwind, but our motley group of 5 took turns at the helm and sliced our way into town.  We celebrated today’s triumph with a sandwich at AJ’s Corner Brick Bar and Grill on main street.  When we are off the bikes, we seem to spend a lot of time eating – I guess we need to need to keep refueling!

Tomorrow brings a Sunday ride down to Ontario – our last town in Oregon before we cross into Idaho on Monday.

~Dan

Five outlaws rolled through the sleepy town of Mitchell, Oregon today.  Riding steel horses and wearing funny looking spandex outfits.  The locals just stared and wondered what kind of mischief this bare-legged helmet-wearing posse was up to.  Word is they hail from all parts… Iowa, North Carolina, Colorado, and Canada, eh.  They didn’t seem interested in robbing the Mitchell bank, like past outlaws – probably because they didn’t have any pockets in those ridiculous shorts.  They didn’t seem interested in any supplies either, except for some water.  They rolled out as fast as they rolled in, travelling east, on to the next stage stop.

A long day in the saddle today, 116 miles.  With a couple of mountain passes thrown in for good measure.  Another beautiful day.  With a beautifully scenic ride through Ochoco National Forest in the morning, a nice descent through Bridge Creek canyon lands, and then a tail-wind assisted rumble alongside the John Day River.

Who is John Day, you might wonder?  A fur-trapper and expedition member, legend claims he was attacked by Indians at the mouth of the river that now bears his name.  He must have been an outstanding man because the valley, nearby fossil beds, two towns (John Day and Dayville), and a Best Western Hotel are named after him.  I’m just thankful that his hotel is here, otherwise I might still be cycling in search of a comfortable bed.

Tomorrow is an 81 mile ride through the Wallowa-Whitman National forest to Baker City, OR.  Adios for now,

~Dan

And then the rains came.  Bright flashes of lightning, followed by rumbling thunder through the open valley.  A steady downpour.  Not a cyclist’s dream scenario… except maybe when it happens at 2am.  Which was exactly the case in Kah-Nee-Ta.  We were warned that thunderstorms were imminent, but they moved right through in the darkness.  By 8am, the skies were clearing and the roads were mostly dry for our 60 mile run into the farming town of Prineville, near the very center of Oregon.

The friendships and cycling bonds are growing deeper as we get to know each other, and settle into riding groups of equal abilities.  I spent some time riding with Reid (from Evanston, IL) today as we pulled each other over some early hills and descents.  Then I flew solo for awhile before joining into a nice pack with Reid, Brad from Iowa, and the two Canadians on the tour – Rick and Doug.  We capped off our ride with a stop at a burger place in Prineville called The Big Dawg – where we reminisced about today’s journey and laughed about some of the travails.  We help motivate each other, while also reminding ourselves to have fun along the way.

Tomorrow will be our longest day yet.  We say goodbye to the Cascade Mountains and head east on U.S. highway 26 to the small town of John Day, 116 miles away.  I better get some rest!

~Dan

(by the way, those are carrots growing in the fields on the right)