Day 81 - August 23, 2013 - Sisters, OR to McKenzie Bridge, OR

Miles - 42

Total mileage - 2,169

Finally McKenzie Pass day!  We were excited to tackle our last mountain pass of the trip, looking forward to the beautiful scenery along the way, but also experiencing a little trepidation - we had 15 miles to the top, and we weren't sure how tough the grade would be.

We enjoyed some of the berries we got from the fruit stand for breakfast, packed up, and got on the road.  It was still a little cool out, but felt nice, and the forest smelled lovely after the rain the orevious day!

The first 7 or 8 miles were relatively flat, taking us to the base of the mountains through the Deschutes National Forest.

We saw this lovely sign:

McKenzie Pass is a big deal for cyclists.  In fact, the pass is closed in the winter because it gets so snowy, but they plow one lane through it about a month before it opens to vehicles for cyclists and hikers.  Cyclists make treks from all over to ride the road without any car traffic!  Google pictures of that if you have time, they are pretty impressive!

After those initial miles, the grade got steeper rather quickly.  Just for a short bit though - we spun away in some of our easier gears and kept at it, taking several breaks.  There wasnt much traffic, as promised, and we did see tons of cyclists (all one light road bikes without any other gear) pedal by us on their way up.  One guys stopped to chat - he was visiting his mom in the area and came over to do the ride up the pass.  Another couple passed us cheering us on...I'm sure we look a sight as we struggle away up the hill with pounds and pounds of stuff on our bikes!

The lava rocks started making their appearance soon enough:

Then we got closer to the summit and found this :

Lava flows!  Such a night and day difference as you head up this thing!  A group of three cyclists passed us on their way back down, and told us the last 3 miles to the top are rolling and not so bad.  That was all the motivation we needed...the last 3 miles went by quickly!  We met a couple at the top from Canada spending their vacation driving around Oregon doing day trips by bike.  Sounds like fun.  In fact, their first date was a trip to Africa to climb Kilamanjaro!  Cool couple!

It was windy and cold at the top of the pass, and you could see mountains all around.  Some still snow covered, with glaciers that never melt.  Very pretty, and interesting see all of the contrasting landscapes.

The road meanders a bit atop the pass, then finally, graciously, begins the long descent down the opposite side.  I'm going out on a limb to call today the best day of the trip.  We felt accomplished pedaling the entire pass, then had a spectacular almost 20 miles of beautiful descent.  Some of the hairpin turns were tough, and we had to stop a few times to give our hands a rest from braking, but it was fabulous.  Surrounded by towering evergreens, cruising through a virtual tunnel of trees, breathing in the fresh mountain air...I'm so glad this day was saved for one of the last of our trip.  It doesn't get much better.

We eventually met up with the busier highway, but has a wide shoulder up where we are, and cruised on into the little hamlet of McKenzie Bridge.  We arrived at the one small deli in town 10 minutes before they were due to close at 4:30.  The lady was gracious enough to serve us a late lunch and tell us she wasn't in any hurry anyway.  People are so nice!

We devoured lunch, headed to the country store for dinner and breakfast snacks, the  onto the USFS McKenzie Bridge Campground.  There were only a couple of campsites left since it was Friday night, unfortunately the ones right on the river were all occupied, so we picked one and set up camp.

It felt like being in a rainforest...the ferns and trees created a secluded cocoon around us.  We took some snacks later on and went to sit at a table by the river and just enjoy nature.  This is what I call camping!

It was not even 7:00 yet, but we were both exhausted.  We forced our eyes to stay open long enough to watch a few episodes of Friends, then succumbed to the exhaustion of the day.

Day 80 - August 22, 2013 - Sisters, OR - Rest Day

Taking a rest day today before tackling McKenzie Pass.  Our legs desperately need a break!

We wandered around town a bit, had lunch in the second oldest building in Sisters, checked out the famous Sisters Bakery, bought some fresh berries and peaches from a fruit stand, and browsed in the local bike shop.

Then it started raining, complete with thunderstorms, so we hid out in our room and rested with the sound of the rain outside the windows.  Always nice when you can stay inside on a rainy day!

Day 79 - August 21, 2013 - Mitchell, OR to Sisters, OR

Miles - 10 by bike, 78 by car

Total mileage - 2,127

We got to enjoy the last little but of downhill out of Mitchell before the climb up to another pass began.  The grade wasn't incredibly steep, but we noticed that our legs felt like Jell-o after the last week or so of tough pedaling over several mountain passes.  We were out of steam, and had 7 miles of climbing to go before we reached the top of the Ochoco Pass.  Neither of us knew how we were going to make it, given our exhaustion!

Secretly, while taking a break from walking my bike uphill, I was wishing for something to help ease our struggles for the day.  Not long after that, we noticed an SUV pull over about half a mile up the hill.  We pedaled up a little more of the hill, the SUV drove off again, and we settled in for more pedaling.

Not long after that, the same SUV pulled over on the other side of the road, and asked us if we needed help or a ride.  The woman said they had been the sag wagon for their kids several times, and hated seeing us walking on such a long climb.  We needed this break, so we decided to take them up on their generous offer!

They had a hitch rack for bikes - we loaded them up and crammed into their car next to their dog, Cody, in his cage.  They were packed to the gills because they had been away from home for a month and a half - first in San Diego watching their grand kids, then at their cabin in New Mexico.  We were so lucky to be crossing paths with them on their way home!

When they heard where we were headed, they offered to take us all the way to Sisters instead of Prineville, and we took them up on it, planning to take a rest day in Sisters before climbing our last mountain pass of the trip, the challenging but beautiful Mackenzie Pass.

They dropped us in the middle of Sisters, we thanked them for their generosity, and they headed for home in Bend, just 20 miles from Sisters.  We grabbed lunch, and decided to check into a motel in town.  Unfortunately Sisters is another tourist town, and everything is pricey!

It's cute though.  We checked in, and relaxed for a bit, had pizza for dinner, relaxed a little more, and slept.

Day 78 - August 20, 2013 - Dayville, OR to Mitchell, OR

Miles - 40

Total mileage - 2,117

We started today by making pancakes at the church.  They generously provide pancake mix for cyclists!  We were looking at another mountain pass today, so we headed out soon after breakfast.

In just a few short miles, we approached the entrance to picture gorge, part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.  The ride through here was really pretty, with very little traffic early in the morning!

After the gorge, we had about 25 miles of gradual climbing to do before reaching the pass.  The high desert scenery was beautiful.  We noticed that the area must have gotten a lot of rain recently because a lot of the ditches on the side of the road had been washed out.  There were trucks full of rock passing us all day headed out there to repair the damage.

We also rode past what us known as the "pair tree".  Basically a tree that people toss pairs of shoes into.  Interesting.

We passed through a wide valley just before the final climb to the pass, and had a chat with some friendly local cows.  I never tire of the looks these guys give us - they are so curious!

Our personal little curse of the headwind struck us then as well just to make the last tough part of the day a little tougher. We made it to the top of the pass though, and couldn't wait for the downhill coast!

We stopped into the cafe in Mitchell, a really small town, and then to the hotel next door.  It was set up like a bed and breakfast, very quirky indeed.  On my way out of checking us in, two gentlemen on the porch asked where we had ridden from, and invited us to share their microbrew beer after we got settled.

We headed back out to the porch to join them for snacks and delicious Mt. Hood Brewery IPA.  Turns out, they met in third grade in a town about 47 miles away, and come back to the area every year for a class picnic.  Then they take 3 days at this hotel and use it as their home base for fishing together.  Al and Stan were 75 and 76 years old respectively - they have been friends for nearly 70 years!

We had some great conversation about religion, politics, and all of those fantastic topics :)  We helped them finish off their beer, delicious French cheese and crackers, and a bottle of wine, so they didn't have to take all of that home.  Just trying to help!

Day 77 - August 19, 2013 - Prairie City, OR to Dayville, OR

Miles - 45

Total mileage - 2,077

One of those lovely camping phenomenons...one minute, you're wrapped comfortably in your sleeping bag as the sun rises, the next minute you can't unzip yourself from that thing quick enough to get out before you sweat to death.  That's how we awoke this morning, and quickly opened up the tent to let the cool morning breeze in as we packed up the sleeping bags and mats.

We stopped for breakfast at a local coffee shop, then headed on down the road.  Today's elevation profile showed a gradual downhill all the way to Dayville.  The scenery was more of the same - we were in a valley in the high desert - dry hills with sometimes lush farm or range nestled between them.

We had heard from several people weeks ago that the town of John Day had experienced a big wildfire recently - and we certainly saw the remnants of it as we approached the town.  Burned hillsides with the ring of red fire retardant dropped by helicopters marked both sides of the valley.  The fire came dangerously close to nearby homes.

We stopped in John Day for a bathroom and snack break at Dairy Queen, and there were many firefighters there grabbing lunch before heading to more hotspots in the area.  Summer sure keeps them busy around here.

We rolled through the town of Mount Vernon, eager to reach our destination.  And wouldn't you know it, about 10 miles out of Dayville, our pleasant day of riding is smashed with a strong headwind!  We took a lot of breaks, and powered on through, finally reaching Dayville and were greeted by this amusing sign

Dayville is close to the John Day Fossil Beds...haha.  We had a cold drink at the one gas station in town, had lunch at the one cafe, picked up a few drinks for the evening at the mercantile, and headed to the Dayville Presbyterian Church, which provides a hostel for cyclists, and has done so since the 70's.

We called Rose, as the sign in the church instructed us to do...she walked down from her house just next door to tell us about all the amenities they had for cyclists, all paid for by donations from cyclists (a shower, washer and dryer, fridge, full kitchen).  She welcomed us, had us put a pin in the map indicating our hometown, and told us we were welcome to sleep in the sanctuary.

Not too long after Rose left, a guy came in and let us know that he was teaching a hunter safety course in the sanctuary, but that they would clear out by 9.  Fine by us, we took showers, did laundry, made grilled cheese sandwiches from the leftovers in the fridge, and watched the first part of Ken Burns' documentary on The Dust Bowl.  The things history nuts do to wind down after a day of cycling...

Can you see the Shep silhouette in there?

I also had a tiny piece of what may have been the largest cake ever, leftover from a party for a local teacher who celebrated 30 years as an educator.  That's dedication!

The sanctuary was nice, but it took me forever to fall asleep - sleeping pads are much more comfortable on grass rather than a hard floor!

Day 76 - August 18, 2013 - Sumpter, OR to Prairie City, OR

Miles - 45

Total mileage - 2,032

We are ready for these mountain passes today!  Had a good breakfast at the cafe in town, and got on the road at a fairly decent time.

We hit the start of the climb to Sumpter Pass just out of town.  It wasnt all that steep to begin with, and wound through some beautiful pine forest.

Certainly not the worst way to start a morning.  It got steeper here and there, but we pedaled all the way up, with plenty of breaks, and made it to the top of number one - two to go!

The downhill was fun, but it's slightly depressing to lose all the altitude it took you a couple of hours to gain in a matter of minutes!  Someone needs to build a bridge from the first to the third do you only have to climb once!

We had a long flat valley to pedal through before the start of cling number two.  14 miles I think of rolling hills.  We kept anticipating the start to the climb at each little hill, but they let us down!

We passed a place offering rest and water for cyclists - I didn't go seek it out, but that person is awesome for doing that!

We finally found it, and the first part was steep!  We walked it, but were soon back in the saddle, pedaling away.  After the first part, the climb wasn't as steep as the first, and we made decent time to the top.  The bonus was that we knew there was a cafe in between this one and the start of the third!

We sailed down the hill, pedaled through a little more flatland before we found the cafe, and had a good lunch, including some ice cream for me!

Time for the final pass...this one was not nearly as steep as the first two, and we managed to pedal most of it, even though we were pretty darn exhausted by this point.

Now, nothing but downhill to Prairie City! It was a fast one, 6% or so grade, and beautiful views of the valley below.

There was a giant wagon thing halfway down the hill that we paused to take a photo on, then continued down.  We were going to go the extra 13 miles to John Day, but they had no camping options, it was getting late, and the dreaded headwind had found us again.

We grabbed drinks and rode to the local RV park to camp.  We couldn't find a camp host, so we didn't end up having to pay...they had really low cyclist rates anyway.  I pedaled back to town and visited the good old convenience store again for dinner snacks.  If I never eat another convenience store dinner, it'll be too soon!  We used the pay showers at the place, enjoyed our convenience store snack dinner, I made a cow friend in the field next door, watched some episodes of Friends, and drifted off to sleep.

She licked my hand, and probably loved it because I was still covered in salt at that point!  I've been whistling at and talking to cows in fields all across the country...they are all very curious, but this is the only one who wanted to actually come over and chat!

Day 75 - August 17, 2013 - Baker City, OR to Sumpter, OR

Miles - 30

Total mileage - 1,987

It was a beautiful morning for biking - we actually got a good night of sleep, the temps were mild, and we had plenty of time off the bikes to rest our legs.  The terrain is still hanging in the "high desert" theme - lots of brown, craggy rock formations, and some ranching or farming thrown in for good measure.  We spotted three male antelope hanging out in a field as we rode through the canyon that leads out of Baker City...we are used to only seeing females and babies in groups together.  

We were planning on a long 70 miles today, including 3 mountain passes near the end.  The first part was mainly flat or rolling - we climbed our first little bit to be greeted by a beautiful view of Phillips Lake.

We passed and interesting overlook...it was actually just a lake overlook in a state park...nice name :)

We were about 20 miles into our day when Mel's shoulder started hurting.  She tore her Labrum in her left shoulder during a fall during a bike ride last October (the Beer Ride in Columbus...but no beer had been consumed yet!), and had to go through physical therapy just before we left.  It's been painful here and there, but today was pretty bad.

We stopped for a rest and lunch at a narrow gauge railway station, and shortly after that, decided her shoulder was in too much pain to tackle mountains today.  We rode the three miles off-route to the small town of Sumpter to get a room and get some ice on her shoulder.  We stayed in a place called the Sumpter Stockade - there actually was a stockade built around the thing!

We stopped by a state park with an old gold dredge and checked it out - this thing was massive, and pretty much tore up the entire meadow in Sumpter around the 40's digging for gold.  Neat machine, but there are still rows of rock covering the valley from these things.

We hit up the grocery store for an ice pack and some snacks, relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and evening.