Adventures after the NWLoop

Since I returned home in September, I have continued to ride as much as possible. It is now November and the weather has remained warm. I spend a lot of time riding alone, confidence found during my adventures on the NW Loop trip. I can change a tire and clean my bike, something I struggled at before the trip.

I took a beautiful 50 mile trip from my house to the Lake Road which parallels Lake Ontario to Durant Eastman Park. The park is loaded with beautiful trails. I had my lunch there and rode back. Later in the week three of my friends rode on our Erie Canal path to the city of Newark, NY and back, about 33 miles. Pictured here are l-r Sue S., me, Sue L., Dawn.

Astoria to Portland, OR (August 29, Saturday)

We woke up to a dreary day with a fine mist falling; not too promising for our 100 mile day! My riding partner, Anne, had taken a tumble on her bike the day before and wasn't sure if she would be riding. As I headed down to breakfast I was pleased to see she was dressed in her bike clothes. She said she was ready to go but I could tell she wasn't quite her old self. We had ridden every single mile of this trip and I know she wanted to finish.

We left about 6:45 AM with lights blinking for visibility in the drizzle. After heading out of the hotel on to a busy commuter road with a slippery steel bridge we all walked over, the traffic became less and the climbing began.

Around mile eight, we started to come upon the first runners of the "Hood to the Coast" relay race that had started at Mt. Hood the day before. There were about 12,000 runners, in teams of twelve. They ran for 4-8 mile legs before another member of the relay took over at the designated check point. They would end the event in the town of Seaside, on the coast. They were running toward us so auto traffic behind us was non existent. This was great, however, we moved slowly to avoid the runners and other people at their check points and feed stations. Their support vehicles were on the opposite side of the road decorated with paint, blowup mannequins, balloons, and bells and whistles. They moved slowly in the opposite direction from us. Still, between the runners, their support vehicles, the rain, and the potholes in the road, it kept us alert. We met our sag wagon at mile 21 and enjoyed some homemade cookies. She was doing her best to keep up with us with all the obstacles.

Most of the runners were congratulating us once they found out where we had been, others wondered why our event was scheduled on the same day, not knowing it was the end of a 30 day tour. We were encouraging the runners too.

We were also climbing between a 3-7% grade at times then a 6% downhill again with the runners and potholes and rain. I never took my camera out for pictures because of the rain. We got pretty wet and cold for a while but then the sun came out and warmed us up. We had runners until around mile 40. The terrain flattened out for about twenty miles. Round mile 57.9 we entered the Scapoose/Vernonia HWY toward St. Helens. Around mile 64 we started a pretty good climb which at times reached the 7% grade. A steep 6%, three mile descent followed and the sun began to dry the road. The trailer and van, pulling out luggage, kitchen, and those who decided to sag in, was coming up behind me. Since I had a clear view ahead I decided to let the bike go, which was almost 32 miles/hour - fast for me; but this allowed the van to get by me easier.

Anne was doing great, even though she kept saying," you don't have to wait for me." I really wasn't that much faster then her and no one needed to be out alone for so many miles.

As the sun continued to heat us up, we had one last chance to enjoy the scenery before turning onto HWY 30 toward Portland. The road had a wide, fairly debris free shoulder to ride on. As we got to the outskirts of Portland at mile 90 the traffic really picked up. Closer to downtown, we over took Barb S. who was riding alone. The road now had less of a shoulder so we stuck together for the last miles in. Once we got to downtown Portland we had a nice bike lane but lots of street turns and traffic - car, trolley, and other bikes to contend with. We arrived at our hotel to find Ken, and Barb's family waiting for us. Barb had to go around the block one more time because her grandchildren had been in the bathroom at the time of her arrival. She did the big entry one more time for them!

So I did it, every single mile! I had a great time and saw parts of the country I have never scene before. Sometimes the beauty brought tears to my eyes. I learned a lot about my bike and how to clean and fix it. I hope to never have to experience I-84 again but have managed to survive lumber trucks and camper trucks and stiff head and crosswinds. I still prefer going uphill to down, but I am getting better at the downhill. I will have to cut back on eating though! My God is an awesome God that showed me some of His finest works and kept me safe throughout. And to my friends and family; thanks for all your support and prayers.

Today's stats: 102.07 miles, 7hrs. 23 min., fastest speed 31.9, avg. 13.8, we climbed 3,578'

Total miles for the entire trip: 1491.6, total climbing was over 55,000'

Later in the evening we had a wonderful banquet and said our good byes to those leaving for early flights. Ken picked me up on Sunday and we spent the day in Portland. Sunday night we headed to my sister's house in Salem to spend a couple of days with her family. We will be heading to Rochester on September 2. See many of you then!

Mannzanita to Astoria, OR

The sun broke out late yesterday to end our rest day with a beautiful sunset. We said goodbye to Karina who had to fly back to Boston early. She is a Professor at a college in Boston which was starting school on Monday. She felt she needed time to get organized. She was our youngest rider at 44. L-R Me, Carolyn, Vicky, Karina, Karen

This morning, however, dawned gloomy with a 40 percent chance of rain. I packed my raincoat this time and headed out of our hotel. We immediately started a three mile climb which got us all warmed up! We stopped at some scenic lookouts with wonderful views of the Oregon coast. At mile 7.8 we came to a tunnel where we pressed a button which started lights flashing. This indicated to cars that bicycles were in the tunnel. Four of us went in together. It was wet in there and we were moving downhill, so we were going pretty quick.

We went through the town of Cannon Beach. It was a very trendy place with wonderful shops and eateries. Just outside of town we had a good view of Haystack rock which is 235' high. It is the third highest coastal monolith in the world.

We were on HWY 101 again and had a three mile climb of 6-7%. At mile 22 we turned onto a bike path at the town of Seaside. Seaside reminded me of Mertle Beach. The bike path was between the ocean and the town. You had to go slow to meander between the pedestrians. Seaside had tents and services set up on the beach as they are the finish line for a running relay race that started yesterday at Mt. Hood. 12,000 runners are involved and we should see some of them tomorrow.

Once out of Seaside we worked our way to the Lewis and Clark Road. We started on the Lewis and Clark route and we are finishing on parts of it as well. The road had a 5-7% climb but then became a series of dips and turns and descents, a lot of fun!

This was at mile 32 and it began to rain lightly. We wanted to get to Fort Clastsop at mile 37 before the rain got too heavy. Fort Clastsop was built by Lewis and Clark as a place for them to overwinter. They named the fort after the local Indian tribe, the Clatsop. The Clatsop were very friendly and traded with Lewis and Clark. They helped them survive the winter months.

By the time we were ready to leave the fort it was raining pretty steady. There were four of us left: Anne, Karen, Barb S., and myself. We put on all our warm clothes and rain gear and headed out onto HWY 101 toward Astoria. We only had about seven miles to go. Of coarse the road traffic became heavier a we got closer to Astoria and the shoulder was full of gravel. At mile 39 we had a narrow bridge to go over which also had a button to push to warn of bicycles on the bridge. We followed signs to HWY 202 then back to HWY 101 and a roundabout to head into Astoria proper. We pulled in very drenched and thankful to be safe.

My room wasn't ready so I hosed my bike down and dried her off.

The rain stopped and Anne decided to ride her bike on the bike trail that goes along the Columbia River. I decided I wanted to dry everything out for tomorrow, so opted out of the adventure. She slipped on the trolley rails that follow the path and crashed, breaking her sunglasses which put a nice gash in the side of her head and taking a chunk of finger nail out of her thumb. Anne will see how she feels in the morning and determine if she can ride tomorrow. I would really miss riding our last day together, but we will see how she feels in the morning.

The city of Astoria is very interesting. The city sits near the mouth of the Columbia River. My roommate tonight, Clark and I and Penny took the trolley for $1 to see the sites. The trolley conductor talked about the canning industry, the salmon fishing, John J. Astor and his buildings and homes, and other businesses. Astoria is the place where fish sticks were invented and well as imitation crab.

We are staying at the at the Holiday Inn Express and have a beautiful view of the Columbia River. Stats: 46.54 miles, 3hrs. 54 min., fastest time 29.5, avg. 11.9 total miles as far as I can tell is 1314.51.

Neskowin to Manzanita, OR (Wed. August 26)

After a 7:30 AM breakfast, late for us, but a reason to wait for some of the fog to lift - we headed out again onto HWY 101. Immediately, we had gorgeous views of the ocean. At mile 6.6 we left the highway on Brooten Road towards Pacific City. The day was very clear and at Pacific City, Haystack Rock was totally in view. After several pictures, Anne and I headed up some short, but steep inclines on our way down the coast. At mile 9.5 we followed the signs for the 3 Capes Route which we stayed on for several miles. The views were breathtaking, the climbs were steep, 7-9%, and the road was rough - lots of potholes. At the top of a climb at mile 21.6 was Cape Lookout, beautiful view. At mile 29 we entered HWY 131 and 3 Capes scenic Route toward Oceanside.

Anne and I took a short detour into Oceanside, then started a 2 mile, 4-9% climb and 1/2 mile 9-11% climb. followed by a steep short descent which was tricky because of the bad road conditions. At mile 34, Anne, Barb, Mary, and Kathie went into Cape Meares State Park to see the lighthouse. The views from Cape Meares were the best of the day. Of coarse no one else wanted to ride down to the lighthouse because it was going to be a 70 mile day and a steep climb back out, which in places I was in my granny gears! It was worth the extra miles to me.

Once back on the road we had to negotiate some more very rough road but it was better than HWY 131 and HWY 101 which we picked up at mile 44. These are designated bike routes but the shoulders are bad, if there is a shoulder. It is littered with gravel and glass and the traffic does not slow down. At mile 45 we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Visitor Center, had ice cream, and took the cheese making tour. I remember doing this many years ago with our families when Seth and Matthew were little guys! Back on HWY 101 we struggled along with a headwind . We were glad to see the Miami River Road, newly chip sealed, but no traffic!

We stayed on this road until mile 65, it was a nice break and we could look around a bit. At the bottom of a nice descent we turned onto HWY 53, also a descent road before going back onto HWY 101 toward Nehalem.

At mile 68 in Nehalem we turned onto H Street, a busy street, and looked at a steep incline. We thought we were done with this nonsense for the day. Our legs were tired but we worked our way to the top and soon came to the charming town of Manzanita, where our Sunset Surf Motel awaited us right across the road from the beach. We will be here two nights before heading for Astoria on Friday and Portland on Saturday! Today's stats: 73.1 miles, 5hrs. 46 min., fastest 30.1, avg. 12.6 Patty asked how many miles I have gone total. I will work on adding this up today. We are suppose to be riding 1450 miles, but with all the side trips I know it will be more. My roommate is Nancy from North Carolina.

Corvallis to Neskowin, OR (August 25, Tuesday)

The forecast was for 10% chance of rain so I did not bring my rain gear. Apparently we rode through the 10% because it misted on us for the first two hours of our ride and got us damp and cold. We had left early because it was going to be an 80 mile day. The ride started out on busy HWY 99, but we had huge shoulders which helped us keep out of the rain spray from the trucks. As we got farther away from Corvallis, the traffic was less. We crossed HWY 99 at mile 14.2 and entered Helmick Rd. and Helmick State Park for our first sag and bathroom stop. It was good to get off our bikes and warm up a bit.

After a few more country roads we were on a bike path that paralleled HWY 99 for 5.5 miles. When the bike path ended we were back on HWY 99 for .5 miles before heading onto HWY 22, a very busy road. The wind was picking up and the rain was beginning to dissipate but the traffic was heavy going to the Oregon coast. At mile 44, HWY 18 also joined the mess and we stayed on the dual HWY's until mile 48 when Anne, Hillie, and I exited at the Spirit Mountain Casino for a break and lunch. There was a little store before the casino where we got some chocolate milk to go with the peanut butter and jelly sandwich we had packed for the day. After a nice rest and refueling of our bodies, we headed back on what became just HWY 18 as the two roads split.

We were also climbing a lot as we had to go over the Coastal Range to get to the Pacific Ocean. At mile 52 we began a 6% grade climb to Murphy Summit - 780', nothing like the mountains we had been climbing, but still respectable. A 5% climb followed and finally at mile 70 we were able to exit the busy HWY 18 onto the Old Scenic HWY 101. We had to climb 4-6% grade but there was no traffic and the scenery was beautiful, lush pine trees with moss on them, ferns, and water trickling from somewhere higher up. At the top we had a seven mile descent which we took slowly because of the wet, moss covered road.

At mile 79 we entered HWY 101, the main road, which of coarse had more traffic but better shoulders. We took that into Neskowin to the Blue Neskowin Resort. It was a very stressful day because of the road conditions and I had a 3rd floor condo. After dragging my bike and luggage up the stairs, no elevators, I was blessed with a beautiful view of the ocean and a balcony to sit on to watch the activities. Of coarse I went to the beach after unpacking. In the pictures, you are looking at Proposal Rock, which has trails on it. You have to know when the tides are right so you can get off of it in time. Couples go there so the guys can propose to their girls. Last month, however, a couple were on the ocean side and the young man was proposing to his bride to be. A rogue wave came along and washed her off the rock. She has never been found, very sad.

Stats: 82.92 miles, 5hrs. 57 min., fastest 36.2, avg. 13.9 We climbed 3100' heading to the coast! My roommate: Karen from Minnesota.

Eugene to Corvallis, Oregon

We started riding at 8:30 AM today, late for us. The ride was short, just over 40 miles. We wanted to avoid the chilly temperatures and Monday morning traffic. Once we left the congestion of Eugene behind, we turned onto LaSalle and 3rd Street and Peoria Road with light traffic and beautiful views of farms and pastures. Today was flat riding, so different from what we have been doing. We past fields freshly turned over, soil very fine and without rocks in it. Sheep were grazing, lambs were running to the barn for breakfast. There were blueberry, pear, apple, and hazelnut trees. The Mennonite school was being cleaned for the upcoming school year and little girls in long pink dresses played on the swing sets. Every yard seemed to be lovingly tended with manicured lawns and lots of flowers and vegetable gardens.

We had a slight headwind but my friend Mary and I moved along and soon found ourselves on the road away from the rest of the pack. We only needed one sag stop to refill our water bottles and follow the Willamette River into Corvallis, home of the Oregon State Beavers. We stopped for lunch and then rode along the Willamette River on a bike and pedestrian path. We took the path to where the college was located, saw there big football stadium, and looped back to our EconoLodge Rodeway Inn for the night. Tomorrow is a long day 80 miles so I am resting up for our trek toward the coast. Today's stats:47.52 miles, 3hrs. 33min., fastest 22 miles, avg. 13.4

Blue River to Eugene, OR

Today dawned sunny but cool again, around 49 degrees. After our usual breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, and bagels; we bundled up and headed out. Hwy 126 followed the McKenzie River for a while and had a huge shoulder. That soon faded to a tiny shoulder and rough road with an increase in the traffic. At mile 21, we came upon a covered bridge. This particular area had several covered bridges. This seemed strange since I only think of covered bridges in New England!

At mile 35 we got off of Hwy 126 onto Camp Creek Rd. This was a nice country road with light traffic. This became the Old Mohawk Rd. which then became Hill Rd. Large beautiful homes dotted the area, probably people who worked in Eugene. We saw several groves of Filbert (Hazelnut) trees, but there wasn't any nuts on the trees that I could see.

We headed onto Coburg Rd., a very busy main drag into Eugene. It had a bike lane which helped. Our hotel, The Red Lion Inn, was on this road. Since we arrived at 10:30 AM, our rooms were not ready so we road the the REI store and looked around. There were four of us: Kathie, Anne, Elizabeth, and Mary. We found a local veggie place and had a nice breakfast again. Elizabeth and Mary went to see if their rooms wee ready and Anne and I found the "River Trail" and rode along the Willamette River for awhile before heading to our rooms. Tonight, Jackie, from Womantours, will be joining us for the remainder of the trip. Today's stats: 61.75 miles, 4hrs. 14min., fastest 30.8, avg. 14.5. We head north tomorrow and start our trek toward the coast. Only five riding days left!

Sisters to Blue River, OR

Yesterday was one of our "zero" days. This was a picture of the Mule deer who come to be fed every morning outside our hotel rooms. I spent a wonderful day with my sister Liz and my niece Aspen. They drove over to Sisters from Salem. We toured the town, sat by our pool and jacuzzi, and then visited Benny, one of Harley's (her horse's) offspring. After dinner they headed home and I packed up for another day of riding - our last Pass as we cross the Cascades and head to the coast!

It was 42 degrees this morning as we prepared to leave. We headed out of our hotel and turned onto HWY 242, the Old McKenzie Hwy. We would be climbing over the McKenzie Pass this morning. The Pass was just opened the week before, not because of snow, but because of construction. The nice thing about the Old McKenzie Hwy was that trucks and campers over 35' were not allowed to drive on the highway. This made for light traffic. I had on my arm warmers and leg warmers and gloves to keep warm. We started a gradual climb which eventually increased to 5-7%. Off came the gloves and vest, but it was still too cool to remove the arm and leg warmers. We were in forests of Ponderosa Pines. We reached an area just short of the top of the pass where we could see mountain peaks and a lava flow that occurred 1500 years ago!

The view at the top of McKenzie Pass, 5,324' was spectacular! We climbed to the Dee Wright Observatory, which looked like a bunker made of lava rocks. You could view several mountains from the panoramic view. Pictured from L-R Vicky, me, Carolyn, Marilyn, and Karen - with the Three Sisters in the background.

Back on my bike I was ready for the 15 mile descent. We put our jackets back on because the descent would be cooler. The road was in excellent shape after the repairs. The descent went from gradual to steeper grades with hairpin turns in spots. The biggest problem with the descent was that gravel would frequently be in the road, especially in the turns.

With eleven miles to go, we stopped at Proxy Falls, locked our bikes and hiked the 1.25 mile loop trail to the waterfall. Others stopped and joined us, so besides myself, Anne, Peg, Karen, and Barb came along. Pictured - Anne at the trailhead. We were now back in the lush were long and narrow. Back on our bikes again we completed the descent with Anne having a bear cross her path on HWY 242. At mile 37 we turned onto HWY 126 and took off for another detour to the Bill Knapp Hot springs. The hot springs was a pool you could swim in. The McKenzie River went through the area and people were rafting on it. The gardens surrounding the Springs were beautiful, but the "Secret Garden", which we had been told was a must see place, was closed to the public because of a wedding.

Back on HWY 126, we travelled another ten miles or so to a restaurant where several of us had the Northwestern grilled cheese - cheddar, bacon, and apple slices, very good. Across the road was our abode for the night - the Harbick's Country Inn. Tonight my roommate is Nancy from Metter, Georgia. Stats: 49.73 miles, 3hrs. 58min., fastest 28.1, avg. 12.5

Prineville to Sisters, OR

We are in Sisters, Oregon tonight, the gateway to the Cascades! Tomorrow I have another "zero" day. My sister and niece are coming to spend the day with me. For the next two nights we are at the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge and my roommate is my riding companion Anne. The picture with the flat top was taken as we left Prineville of the basalt rock pillars.

We left Prineville at 6:45 AM to ride in the cool of the day. It was in the 50's, but was predicted to be in the 90's by noon. It got to 100 degrees today around 2PM. We rode onto O'Neil HWY for eighteen miles then onto NE 5th St. as we came to the city of Redmond. The first Walmart I have seen since leaving Rochester was in Redmond! We eventually continued our ride on HWY126/20 right into Sisters. It was relatively flat with some small climbs. We went up about 1000' of elevation today. We have apparently climbed 47,000' when you total all of our days of climbing so far. The picture with the mountains show R-L Broken Top, 9,175', South, 10,358', Middle, 10,047', North, 10,085' (The Three Sisters).

The road into Sisters had a good shoulder which we needed because the traffic was considerably heavier. As of today, we have travelled over 1000 miles! Today's stats: 49.58miles, 3hrs.37min., fastest 28, avg. 12.5 My stats are a little off from the people with Garmins. Pictured: some of the ladies enjoying the pool and jacuzzi. L-R Penny, Hille, Ramsey, and Anne.

John Day to Mitchell, OR (Tuesday) - Mitchell to Prineville, OR (Wednesday)

Yesterday was going to be a long day and the forecast was for hot weather. We left early and headed back onto HWY 26. It was relatively flat and we moved along quickly. About mile 31.4, we breezed through the little town of Dayville, which looked like a town out of the past. Everything in this area was named for John Day who was a trapper in the early 1800's. He got sick and his party left him behind with one man that nursed him back to health. Then the Indians found them and let them live but took everything they had including their clothes. Finally John Day and friend were found by an early wagon train. So he really never came to John Day or Dayville exactly, but even the stream is named the John Day River!

Anne and I stopped to take a detour to the John Day fossil beds and visitor center. It was a four miles round trip detour. Since we didn't know if we would ever be in this area again, we didn't want to miss it. We stopped at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. Thomas Condon was a minister and fossil enthusiast who became the first state geologist of Oregon. He believed that science and the Bible went hand in hand in proving things correct. Others from our group also took the detour which was well worth the stop. However, when we left the center, the outside temperature had begun to really heat up. We also had to start climbing again.

We stopped to see the "shoe tree", an almost dead Popular where everyone that has passed by has thrown a pair of shoes. One of the ladies in our group had us sign a pair of shoes which she added to the tree's collection. We continued climbing until we reached Keyes Creek Summit - 4,357'. The grade was 1-3% but the heat made the climb a bit more difficult. Our sag driver, Karen, did a great job of finding all of us and getting water to us. The descent into Mitchell was steep, 6-7%, but luckily the truck traffic was light. We climbed 2389' on our way to Mitchell yesterday. Mitchell was a very tiny town, maybe 170 people. We stayed at three different places. I was in the Oregon Hotel, an old 1930's place with big bedrooms and a shared bathroom down the hall, no air conditioning. As evening came on it did cool down enough to sleep with a fan and the place was very comfortable. Dinner was up at the other hotel - chicken pot pie, a big salad, and strawberry/peach shortcake. stats: 74.51 miles, 5hrs 18min., fastest speed 26.9, avg. 14. (My computer is slightly off from the people with garmins )

Today we headed back onto HWY26 again. We had a shorter day but it was going to be hot again. We started out with a 1-2% climb and at mile 9.6 we started the 4-7% climb to the Ochoco Pass -4,720'. This seemed like the toughest climb to date because most of it was near the 7% grade. We were back in the pine forests and got to the top before the heat increased. Once over the Pass, it was a 1-2% descent into Prineville with a quick stop at the Ochoco Lake County Park. The lake was very low and Anne and I noticed the fire signs with the fire warnings were for extreme danger, everything was very dry. We are at the Stafford Inn in Prineville, population 10,000, our biggest place to stay in a long time. Stats: 48.47 miles, 3hrs 44min., fastest 30.8, avg.13.

John Day, OR rest day

I am all caught up blogging, but the next few towns are very small. Tomorrow is a very long day (70 miles) and Anne and I are planning to go an extra 6 miles out of our way to see the John Day fossil beds. We are in three different places tomorrow night so the Internet may not be an option.

Today I cleaned my bike and went to the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site. At the time of the gold rush the area had a large Chinese community. All that remains of "China town" today is the building in my picture, the Kam Wah Chung "Golden flower of Prosperity" & Company. The building was built in 1870 and the upper half in 1890. Two young Chinese immigrants "Doc" Hay and Lung On bought the building's lease in 1888. Then it became a successful place of business, a frequently visited herbal medical office, a bunk room, and kitchen. Doc Hay established an herbal medicine practice that became known throughout eastern and central Oregon. He treated both Chinese and white patients at his clinic until 1948. Lung On, who was well educated and fluent in English, became a successful merchant and landowner.

Early on, they had to bar their windows and doors with steel because the local cowboys would often get drunk on the weekends and shoot up China town. By 1900 these two men had won the respect of the town and the violence stopped. Both men became very wealthy. They had families in China but sent very little money to their wives and children and made no attempt to bring them to the United States. An act was passed in 1884 barring any Chinese women and children from coming to the US. The government wanted the men to work and then go home, figuring that if their families were back in China they wouldn't stay long.

Both Doc Hay and Lung On did not go back, did not help their families out much, and became very successful. They are buried in the town cemetery instead of having their bones sent back to China as was the custom of the day. They felt that Oregon was their home and they wanted to remain in John Day. (Maybe they thought their wives and kids would throw their bones away!)

Baker City to John Day, OR (Sunday, August 16)

On Sunday morning we woke up to a chilly 36 degrees! I put on all my warm clothes including my booties! It was going to be an 80 mile day with three peaks to climb. a triple bypass. Some of our group were developing colds or had some injuries or were just too tired and decided to take the day off. They would ride in the van to the next place. I was tired and my left knee was getting sore but I decided to press on. It turned out to be the best day yet! We headed out of our hotel with warm cookies from our hostess onto Hwy 7 again. It was cold and we had thirteen miles of flat riding to warm up our legs before doing any climbing. We followed the Powder River which was small but moved very quickly with a lot of rapids. At mile thirteen we had a three mile climb of 2% followed by a one mile steeper climb. By the time we came to the foot of the first pass it was time to remove the jacket and warm gloves. The climb to our first pass, Sumpter Pass, started at mile 26 and we came to the summit at mile 30. The pass is at 5,082' . We were in beautiful evergreen forests. All the people who didn't ride today were at the summit with the van to cheer us onward and to pick up anyone who had had enough climbing for the day. Anne and I headed down the 5-7 mile descent at 5-6%. Anne is a very good descender and has to wait for me at the bottom, but I am getting better. My eyes were tearing so much from the cool air that I couldn't look at my speedometer anyways! At mile 38 we started our climb to the second summit called Tipton, 5,124'. We reached the summit at mile 43.7. This one wasn't as steep as the first. Another descent and we turned onto Hwy 26. All the roads were good and the traffic was light. At mile 51 we stopped for lunch at a Cafe. I had the grilled cheese and tomato and ice tea. Then with all my warm clothing off and safely stowed in the sag wagon, we were ready for summit #3, Dixie Mountain Pass - 5,277' The van picked up the last person who decided that a bypass was enough for her today. This was a longer but more gradual climb then the other two and we reached the summit at mile 57.8. Absolutely breath taking scenery as we descended almost ten miles into the tiny Town of Prairie City. Another thirteen miles and some pesky headwinds and we were in John Day. The temperature was now 86 degrees! Our chef prepared us corn crumb encrusted catfish, mac and cheese, salad, and marinated cucumbers. My roommate for two days is Kaye from California. She is one of the ladies who hosted us in McCall for our day off at the lake. stats: 4130' of climbing today!, 81.61miles, 6hrs 33min., fastest speed 30.9,, avg.12.4. We only have ten riding days left! The picture of the three ladies: Elizabeth, Anne, and me at the first summit.

Halfway to Baker City, OR

Today is our rest day and I will attempt to catch up from my last posting of August 14. The little towns we have been staying in either have very weak Internet service or none at all.

Our ride from Halfway to Baker City took place on Saturday, August 15. It was a beautiful day with pleasant temperatures. Most of the day we rode against a headwind but it didn't seem as strong as the day before. We warmed up with a climb to the top of a summit - 3,653', then a brisk downhill, sometimes getting as steep as 6-7%, at least that is steep for me! There were very few places to stop to eat or when we got to them they were closed. We ate everything we had packed; Powerbars, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips. My friend Anne and I would munch and get more water at the sag stops. At mile 47.2, we planned to stop at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. As we came closer to the 47 mile mark we noticed a large building with a winding road at the top of a hill/mountain. There were cars going up and down the road which lead to this building. (They looked tiny from where we were down on the main road!) We realized that this was the Interpretive Center. Since we might never come this way again we decided to bike the one mile, 370' of elevation climb, to get to the center. At the top Anne's garmin registered 10-11%. Once up there we spent an hour or so in the center looking at displays and seeing some of the movies about the Oregon Trail. There was a lot of walking paths outside but we still had more miles to ride and needed to keep going. From our vantage point we could see below us, an actual wagon train coming toward the Interpretive Center following the old wagon ruts when possible. They were planning to camp at the foot of the center that evening. So we went down the mile driveway and were right at their encampment when they rode in. We were so lucky to be in the right place at the right time to see this. Only a few of our biking group stopped because of the climb up to the center so they missed the wagon train. My one picture shows the actual ruts that still remain today from the Oregon trail.

The rest of the day went uneventful and we arrived in Baker City later in the afternoon. We stopped for a sandwich and headed into our hotel for the night. We stayed a the Bridge Street Inn, very plain and small but the lady who ran the place had fresh baked cookies ready for us and she made us breakfast and more cookies and banana bread to go!

Stats: 58.33 miles, 5hrs. 20min., fastest 27.8, avg. 10.9