A few errors have been pointed out to me regarding some of the observations I have made. I do not know if this has any regional implications, but the only individuals who have been insensitive enough to point out the error of my ways live in the Northwestern section of the United States.
Corrections are as follows:
1. Colorful plants that grow in areas other than tended gardens are not weeds, they are wild flowers,
2. The deer I saw (and had a stairing contest with) were not deer at all, they were pronghorn antelope, and
3. The picture I identified as Mt. Hood is actually Mt. Jefferson.
I would like to thank those who have so rudely reminded me of my limited knowledge ... however, Bill, one more and your off my Xmas card list.
Almost there ... (June 27, 2009)
One more day of riding and I will have reached Eugene. 1650 miles (+/-) ... as they say at AA, "Take it one day at a time."
Today's ride was quite varied. The roads are great, except for some of the road that was pointed upward ... took about two hours to get to the summit, but after that it was a glorious run downhill. There is great beauty in the wooded forests ... there has also been great devastation due to forest fires. I cannot imagine how nervous the National Forest Service people must get during dry spells.
There are also tremendous lava flows that run along the road for great distances. This is a reminder of how volcanically active this area is, and just how recent, geologically speaking, these flows occured. Balancing out the dark shades of the lava flows is the McKenzie River, which runs along quite a bit of the second half of today's ride. The McKenzie River is a fast moving, fairly shallow river, with lots of rapids. Lots of shades of blue and white when the sun shines on the river.
I am bedding down at a RV park in Rainbow tonight. In most cases, these RV parks have a small general store ... this one does not. I asked where the nearest store is, and the lady said one was about a mile and a half on down the road ... then asked what I was going to buy. I told her "A couple cans of beer and some stew." She told me to wait a minute, then came back with two cans of beer and some stew (no charge) ... later she stopped by my camping spot with some apple pie. Either she is incredibly nice, or I looked as though I was on my last legs. I prefer to think she is just very nice.
Not really a "small world" item: I was talking with a retired guy at the City of Sisters City Campground last night ... he is a retired Civil Engineer who had specialized in hydro-electric dams. I mentioned to him that the father of my sister-in-law, Carol, had been a top administrator/engineer when the Hoover Dam was built near Boulder City, NV. When I told him Ed's name, he responded that he had never met Ed, but he knew of him and had great respect for Ed's work and reputation. I never knew the Ed Nielsen this guy spoke of ... the Ed I knew was very unassuming, humble and probably enjoyed a good joke as much as anyone I have ever met.
It's getting late, and the light along the McKenzie River is growing dim ... time to squat into the tent and enjoy the discomfort of sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag.
But still, life is good.
Today's ride was quite varied. The roads are great, except for some of the road that was pointed upward ... took about two hours to get to the summit, but after that it was a glorious run downhill. There is great beauty in the wooded forests ... there has also been great devastation due to forest fires. I cannot imagine how nervous the National Forest Service people must get during dry spells.
There are also tremendous lava flows that run along the road for great distances. This is a reminder of how volcanically active this area is, and just how recent, geologically speaking, these flows occured. Balancing out the dark shades of the lava flows is the McKenzie River, which runs along quite a bit of the second half of today's ride. The McKenzie River is a fast moving, fairly shallow river, with lots of rapids. Lots of shades of blue and white when the sun shines on the river.
I am bedding down at a RV park in Rainbow tonight. In most cases, these RV parks have a small general store ... this one does not. I asked where the nearest store is, and the lady said one was about a mile and a half on down the road ... then asked what I was going to buy. I told her "A couple cans of beer and some stew." She told me to wait a minute, then came back with two cans of beer and some stew (no charge) ... later she stopped by my camping spot with some apple pie. Either she is incredibly nice, or I looked as though I was on my last legs. I prefer to think she is just very nice.
Not really a "small world" item: I was talking with a retired guy at the City of Sisters City Campground last night ... he is a retired Civil Engineer who had specialized in hydro-electric dams. I mentioned to him that the father of my sister-in-law, Carol, had been a top administrator/engineer when the Hoover Dam was built near Boulder City, NV. When I told him Ed's name, he responded that he had never met Ed, but he knew of him and had great respect for Ed's work and reputation. I never knew the Ed Nielsen this guy spoke of ... the Ed I knew was very unassuming, humble and probably enjoyed a good joke as much as anyone I have ever met.
It's getting late, and the light along the McKenzie River is growing dim ... time to squat into the tent and enjoy the discomfort of sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag.
But still, life is good.
Bright White ... (June 26, 2009)
Today’s ride was fairly easy … 40 miles of fairly flat road between Prineville and Sisters.
The City of Redmond is about half way between Prineville and Sisters, and provided me with one of the best sandwiches I have had for some time. A little sandwich shop in the downtown area includes raspberry mustard and pumpkin seeds in their sandwiches. The name of the shop is “Auntie Em’s”. What the shop has to do with the Wizard of Oz, I have no idea. I also should say that Redmond is indeed a city … 25,000 people … in Central Oregon, this is a huge number of people.
While the ride was easy, other than the scenery, it was quite uneventful. However … a word about the scenery.
Being a desert boy, I am unaccustomed to massive peaks covered with snow … particularly in June. Sure, I have experienced Camelback Mountain on those rare occasions when Phoenix gets snow, but I have to say that these mountains are huge and the peaks are covered with bright white snow … and are quite beautiful. My words cannot properly convey the awe of seeing Mt. Hood glistening in the morning sun. What an incredible, spectacularly beautiful site. See, my words don’t succeed.
Sisters, OR reminds me a lot of the Flagstaff area … lots of green, lots of pine trees, and quite comfortable weather. Also, lots of traffic passing through town.
I have insect repellent now … but there are no mosquitoes!
The City of Redmond is about half way between Prineville and Sisters, and provided me with one of the best sandwiches I have had for some time. A little sandwich shop in the downtown area includes raspberry mustard and pumpkin seeds in their sandwiches. The name of the shop is “Auntie Em’s”. What the shop has to do with the Wizard of Oz, I have no idea. I also should say that Redmond is indeed a city … 25,000 people … in Central Oregon, this is a huge number of people.
While the ride was easy, other than the scenery, it was quite uneventful. However … a word about the scenery.
Being a desert boy, I am unaccustomed to massive peaks covered with snow … particularly in June. Sure, I have experienced Camelback Mountain on those rare occasions when Phoenix gets snow, but I have to say that these mountains are huge and the peaks are covered with bright white snow … and are quite beautiful. My words cannot properly convey the awe of seeing Mt. Hood glistening in the morning sun. What an incredible, spectacularly beautiful site. See, my words don’t succeed.
Sisters, OR reminds me a lot of the Flagstaff area … lots of green, lots of pine trees, and quite comfortable weather. Also, lots of traffic passing through town.
I have insect repellent now … but there are no mosquitoes!
Friend indeed ... (June 25, 2009)
The highlight of today was not the ride.
Today's highlight was sharing time with a friend.
First the ride ... today had one long climb (10 to 12 miles) that occurred in the first third of the 50 mile ride. After reaching the summit, the road was one long downhill into Prineville. Some of the downhills were at very high speeds, some just an easy coast. Saw some beautiful scenery ... Central Oregon , although different, is equally as beautiful as Southern Idaho (Mitchell, however is in a very tight competition with Twin Falls).
The best part of the day was meeting up with Bill Sievers in Prineville. Bill is doing a coast-to-coast ride with a number of other riders. Bill, and Linda Matson (friends I met in Tempe, who then abandoned me when they moved to Tucson), were instrumental in getting me prepared, equipment-wise, for this trip of mine. Anyway, it was great to spend some time with Bill and share stories about their, and my, travels. Thanks, Bill.
Tomorrow will be an easy 39 mile day to Sisters (for me) ... Bill's group is covering 117 miles, or so, with two serious climbs (what's the uphill opposite to Woo-hoo?) to John Day; not going to be an easy day for them.
Life is good ... friends make it so.
Today's highlight was sharing time with a friend.
First the ride ... today had one long climb (10 to 12 miles) that occurred in the first third of the 50 mile ride. After reaching the summit, the road was one long downhill into Prineville. Some of the downhills were at very high speeds, some just an easy coast. Saw some beautiful scenery ... Central Oregon , although different, is equally as beautiful as Southern Idaho (Mitchell, however is in a very tight competition with Twin Falls).
The best part of the day was meeting up with Bill Sievers in Prineville. Bill is doing a coast-to-coast ride with a number of other riders. Bill, and Linda Matson (friends I met in Tempe, who then abandoned me when they moved to Tucson), were instrumental in getting me prepared, equipment-wise, for this trip of mine. Anyway, it was great to spend some time with Bill and share stories about their, and my, travels. Thanks, Bill.
Tomorrow will be an easy 39 mile day to Sisters (for me) ... Bill's group is covering 117 miles, or so, with two serious climbs (what's the uphill opposite to Woo-hoo?) to John Day; not going to be an easy day for them.
Life is good ... friends make it so.
Damn wind ... (June 24, 2009)
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Today's ride, from Clyde Holliday State Park (Mt. Vernon) to Mitchell, would have been hard enough (65 miles with one serious climb and one not-so-serious climb), but the wind out of the west just added to the struggle. The area between the climbs is a high prairie with few trees to block the wind. The wind picked up when I was about 4 miles from the top of the serious climb (first climb of the day), and continued until I reached the summit of the second climb ... probably about 15 miles. This created a very tiring condition, and my spirits were suffering. Fortunately, once I reached the summit of the second climb, there was a (Woo-hoo) 5 mile downhill run into Mitchel. Spirits rising ...
I stayed in a small, historic hotel in Mitchell. The Oregon Hotel is an old two-story structure with about 10 or 12 rooms. Some of the rooms have a private bath, but the majority of the night's guests use the bathrooms down at the end of the hall. Each tread of the stairway to the second floor had a unique musical note ... no sneaking in after midnight would go unnoticed.
Unlike the major brand hotels, this hotel had a front porch that was made for conversing with the other guests. One couple that was staying for the night was from Edmonton. As it turned out, their daughter had played on some youth/high school sports teams with the daughter of Jan and Ed Jorgensen. Jan, Ed and I, along with others, rode the Oregon Coast and the RAGBRIA Iowa ride. Anyway, this "small world" experience brought great joy to me in an otherwise dismal little town.
While riding up the serious climb, I approached a very odd looking tree ... I could not figure out what kind of leaves/fruits were hanging from the limbs. On closer inspection, I realized that the tree had hundreds of shoes hanging from the limbs. Very odd. I asked around Mitchell as to the "why" of this oddity ... no one seemed to know why; apparently it "just is".
There was a nice pair of Nike shoes, but they were out of reach.
Weather is getting warmer, bordering on hot ... life is good.
I stayed in a small, historic hotel in Mitchell. The Oregon Hotel is an old two-story structure with about 10 or 12 rooms. Some of the rooms have a private bath, but the majority of the night's guests use the bathrooms down at the end of the hall. Each tread of the stairway to the second floor had a unique musical note ... no sneaking in after midnight would go unnoticed.
Unlike the major brand hotels, this hotel had a front porch that was made for conversing with the other guests. One couple that was staying for the night was from Edmonton. As it turned out, their daughter had played on some youth/high school sports teams with the daughter of Jan and Ed Jorgensen. Jan, Ed and I, along with others, rode the Oregon Coast and the RAGBRIA Iowa ride. Anyway, this "small world" experience brought great joy to me in an otherwise dismal little town.
While riding up the serious climb, I approached a very odd looking tree ... I could not figure out what kind of leaves/fruits were hanging from the limbs. On closer inspection, I realized that the tree had hundreds of shoes hanging from the limbs. Very odd. I asked around Mitchell as to the "why" of this oddity ... no one seemed to know why; apparently it "just is".
There was a nice pair of Nike shoes, but they were out of reach.
Weather is getting warmer, bordering on hot ... life is good.
Easy Day ... (June 23, 2009)
After yesterday’s ride, I had decided to take it easy today. Prairie City to Clyde Holliday State Park is only about 21 miles, and it is pretty much flat. The town of John Day is about 13 miles from Prairie City, so I used it as a food stop. And good food it was. For the record, I have no idea who Clyde and John were, nor what they did to warrant naming parks/towns after them. I am sure they did something in this area that is historic in nature. This reminds me, I saw a plaque in John Day today that said that in 1878 nothing happened at that location.
This area is high desert, and quite warm … which does me good. There are only a few clouds in the sky; I am hoping the warmth is here to stay for a while.
I bought a book at Betty’s Bookstore in Baker City (besides the semi-amusing alliteration, it is a nice independent bookstore). The book (Westward Vision by David Lavender) discusses how the Western United States (west of the Mississippi) was explored starting in the 1540s, and how the various overland trails were developed. Being a “C” student prohibits me from giving a concise summary of what I have read, but at the point I have reached, Mr. Lavender has been discussing the political and economic reasons that France, Spain and England were attempting to find a passage through North America to Asia. Interesting read. I should mention that being a “C” student also leaves me with the nagging thought that the name of the book should have been underlined, put in parenthesis, or italised.
Anyway, today has been an easy, restful day.
Warm is good.
This area is high desert, and quite warm … which does me good. There are only a few clouds in the sky; I am hoping the warmth is here to stay for a while.
I bought a book at Betty’s Bookstore in Baker City (besides the semi-amusing alliteration, it is a nice independent bookstore). The book (Westward Vision by David Lavender) discusses how the Western United States (west of the Mississippi) was explored starting in the 1540s, and how the various overland trails were developed. Being a “C” student prohibits me from giving a concise summary of what I have read, but at the point I have reached, Mr. Lavender has been discussing the political and economic reasons that France, Spain and England were attempting to find a passage through North America to Asia. Interesting read. I should mention that being a “C” student also leaves me with the nagging thought that the name of the book should have been underlined, put in parenthesis, or italised.
Anyway, today has been an easy, restful day.
Warm is good.
As advertised, almost ... (June 22, 2009)
The ride from Baker City to Prairie City was, as fore-warned by others, a difficult ride. Taking almost eight hours of riding time, it was a long day. Included in the 70 miles of riding were three long climbs … my speed up these climbs varied from 3 mph to 6 mph. But the down hills were sweet.
For the first time since Utah, I met up with a number of bike touring folks. They were all heading eastward, so they had a great time telling me about the climbs to come … but then I could do the same. Don’t know if they exaggerated, but I sure did. One thing that caught my attention was the varying amount of luggage the various riders were carrying. There were two college-age women who appeared to each have a small duffel bag strapped to their rear bike racks. They were headed to Chicago. My guess is that they were doing hotels exclusively. But later I talked to two older guys who were planning to camp that evening, and they each had only two small panniers … they were ultimately going to Virginia. Fortunately, for my pride, there were several other riders with as much, if not more gear than I. It has given me something to think about … what am I carrying that maybe I do not need? I did get rid of the Unabridged Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary that I have carried with me since high school.
I got a chuckle early on the first climb … a young guy came down this long hill on a single-speed fixed-gear bike. By way of explanation, on a fixed-gear single speed, if the rear tire is moving, so are the pedals. This guy’s feet were moving so fast you could barely see them; I am sure that his cadence was approaching 150 rpm!
Now, for the “almost as advertised”: the weather.com website had promised skies with no clouds or wind. Wrong! For most of the day the dark gray of the clouds blocked out the blue of the sky, and the wind (out of the west naturally), was coming at me at a pretty good pace. Up on the top of the three passes, it was downright cold … probably in the high 40s. But the views were spectacular. The country up in that area reminds me of the upper reaches of Mt. Lemmon (without the scars left by the fires back in 2003). Beautiful … but cold.
The final 7 miles of the day’s ride were a rider’s delight. Earlier in the day I had talked with a couple from Boston who said it took them about one hour and forty five minutes to get up the first climb of their day (they were headed east; me west). This downhill took me about fifteen minutes … and the weather was getting warm. Now that is the way to finish up a long day of riding.
Ahhhh, life is indeed good.
For the first time since Utah, I met up with a number of bike touring folks. They were all heading eastward, so they had a great time telling me about the climbs to come … but then I could do the same. Don’t know if they exaggerated, but I sure did. One thing that caught my attention was the varying amount of luggage the various riders were carrying. There were two college-age women who appeared to each have a small duffel bag strapped to their rear bike racks. They were headed to Chicago. My guess is that they were doing hotels exclusively. But later I talked to two older guys who were planning to camp that evening, and they each had only two small panniers … they were ultimately going to Virginia. Fortunately, for my pride, there were several other riders with as much, if not more gear than I. It has given me something to think about … what am I carrying that maybe I do not need? I did get rid of the Unabridged Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary that I have carried with me since high school.
I got a chuckle early on the first climb … a young guy came down this long hill on a single-speed fixed-gear bike. By way of explanation, on a fixed-gear single speed, if the rear tire is moving, so are the pedals. This guy’s feet were moving so fast you could barely see them; I am sure that his cadence was approaching 150 rpm!
Now, for the “almost as advertised”: the weather.com website had promised skies with no clouds or wind. Wrong! For most of the day the dark gray of the clouds blocked out the blue of the sky, and the wind (out of the west naturally), was coming at me at a pretty good pace. Up on the top of the three passes, it was downright cold … probably in the high 40s. But the views were spectacular. The country up in that area reminds me of the upper reaches of Mt. Lemmon (without the scars left by the fires back in 2003). Beautiful … but cold.
The final 7 miles of the day’s ride were a rider’s delight. Earlier in the day I had talked with a couple from Boston who said it took them about one hour and forty five minutes to get up the first climb of their day (they were headed east; me west). This downhill took me about fifteen minutes … and the weather was getting warm. Now that is the way to finish up a long day of riding.
Ahhhh, life is indeed good.
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