For the past few days we have been trudging through the
Oregon wilderness. When one first thinks of the state of Oregon, “desert” “Dry”
and “heat” is not the first words that come to mind. However, that is much of
the climate of eastern Oregon. After visiting the bike shop in Ontario, to make
sure that nothing major was wrong with Sauder’s bike, we pressed onward into
the hot and dry desert. Temperatures were close to 100 for most of day, and we
constantly were drinking water to replace the fluids we were losing just to
keep cool. Anything green in the area was the cause of irrigation. We soon
reached the town of Brogan, along with a sign that said that the next services
were 42 miles away. After stocking up on snacks and water, we set up for a few
hours of climbing. The heat continued with us for a while as we crept up the
dry and barren mountain sides, stopping every so often to catch our breath and
rehydrate. We must have stopped too much that day because we pulled into the
goal town of Unity as the sun was setting. We were tired, thirsty and very
hungry. Every restaurant was closed and there as only one little gas station. I
pulled up by the door just as the lady was locking it. My heart sank. Would we
have to make do with chewing gum, a few peanuts and lukewarm water tonight?
I like to think it was my good looks that got us in the
store, but it was most likely an act of pity from our dirty and tired faces.
Dinner would be a bag of BLT flavored chips, Ice Tea, and Alfredo Pasta. The
campsite which we were told was 2 miles away was actually 8 more miles, and the
cost, which we were told as $7 was actually $22. Luckily, when we realized that
such a price was beyond we happened to conveniently set up camp by a large
group of other cyclists as well as having no money in our Wallets. Cooking
dinner turned into an adventure. I learned that cooking half a pound of pasta
with a minimal amount of water. Regardless, slightly chewy pasta as much better
than a growling stomach.
The storm and wind which sent us to bed was still there in
the morning, but this time with rain and cold. Temperature had dropped to the
low forties and the pattering on the tent fly made it clear that everything
outside of the tent was entirely soaked, including the clothes I set out to
dry. We decided to try and wait out the rain. The rain never went away, but
only died down, the cold staying in its same place. Pulling myself out of the
sleeping bag and into the cold and wet world was one of the hardest things I
have ever had to do. Sauder and I discussed that this is probably why babies
cry so much when they are born. There they are, resting in a warm and
comfortable environment, only to be thrust into a cold and uncomfortable world.
I would cry too.
We had to back track a few miles to the last town to grab
breakfast because we did not know when we would have food next. Apparently we
had missed breakfast time and had to settle for chicken sandwiches in place of
pancakes. When we finally were making progress it was noon. A very late start, especially
when we knew we had two large climbs for the day. We had purchased some gloves
at the store simply because our finger tips were freezing off in the wind;
these gloves were a life saver, until it started to rain. The rain came as we
were making our first climb, a long and winding path up a mountain surrounded by
towering ponderosa pines. The higher we went the colder it got. Getting to the
peak was exciting; we knew that we had a few miles of descent to enjoy.
However, 30 seconds into our ride down, we found out that it would not be fun
at all. The cold temperatures, rain and high speeds created a quite painful
experience. The rain were like little bullets stinging as they hit us, the icy
air like knives making our faces go numb, the wet road soaking our shoes until
they weighed heavy. There is not much one can do other than grin and bear and
hope you get to the bottom soon.
It was actually a relief to be climbing again; the extra
effort warms the body and gets blood running into the frozen hands and feet.
But a couple hours later we found ourselves descending, this time prepared to handle
he pain. At the bottom of this mountain we
found a small coffee shop in the town of prairie city, we spend at least an
hour trying to regain feeling in our hands and feet while sipping warm mochas.
The last 15 miles to the small town of Mt Vernon were perhaps he most enjoyable
of the day, the rain had taken a break the temperatures had warmed up, the only
reminder of the previous ordeal being the snowcapped peaks around us. Our goal was a warm showers host who runs the
“Bike Inn”, essentially a second house on their property which they let touring
cyclists use. It is donation based and provides showers, beds a kitchen, TV and
movies. Luxury when out on the road. Also staying here this night is a couple
from Portland who are doing a large loop around the area. They were gracious to
let us share a meal with them and we sat around talking about biking, babies,
cancer and ups and down of Portland, Quite a good time of fellowship and biker camaraderie.
Well, I should sleep, we want to do 80 miles tomorrow and I need the strength.
So here are some pictures!.
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| Hot day |
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| High Desert, Climbing Ahead |
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| Boys in Boise |
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| Awkward wave to Jackie |
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| Mountains we came down from |
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