Baker City – 26

Yesterday (Thursday) began the second week of the trip.   I was awake at 4:18 but didn’t get out of bed until after five.  One of the first things I did was bang my upper left shin into a heavy wooden chair while crossing a room in the dark. It ended up being a very minor inconvenience later in the day while riding, but it’s just a reminder that anything stupid can happen that could keep you out a day or longer.

I was staying at the Bike Inn, a little guesthouse apart from a main house where cyclists can stay while on the road. It was so nice that I took my first rest day there, in which I mailed off a few things I didn’t need, tried to figure out some things with this blog, and just relaxed, eating breakfast at the Silver Spur where you hear people say things such as “much obliged.”

By 6:30 I was finally ready to go. I was even out before Barbie the dog was outside for the day.  After stopping at the Chevron to pick up supplies, it was 6:45. The locals inside were asking where I was going.  When you say Virginia it usually starts a conversation.

The mornings are cool. It was probably in the mid 50s and the ride out of town was calm, with just a few cars and some really nice scenery.

I knew what was coming though, as today would be the longest day of the trip at 90 miles and over three mountain passes.  Collectively though, the total rise in elevation for the three of them would be a bit less than the now infamous McKenzie Pass from Day 3.  Then I would have a nice downhill route into Baker City for the last 30 miles, or so I thought.

A short time later in the morning, I saw a cyclist riding my way. He crossed over to my side of the road and we had a chat. His name was Roger and he’s from Brooklyn.  He’s doing half the route this year and started from Pueblo. He was on a Trek 520, just like me, and was wearing New Balance shoes, as I do. This is somewhat unusual as most people you meet wear special “clipless” cycling shoes, which function with specific pedals.  But I like the New Balance because they are wide and I don’t have to bring another pair of shoes to walk around in.  Most cyclists won’t have it any other way besides clipless.

Roger and I had a good fifteen minute talk and exchanged blog sites before riding off. I went up the road another ten miles or so, passing through the town of John Day before arriving in Prairie City, population 909 (these populations are listed on my Adventure Cycling maps).  Here I stopped at the local store and bought a sandwich and a few other things to go along with what I bought earlier, plus a large bottle of water to go along with what I had.  Stocking up is always a good idea, as this was proven later.

Once you leave Prairie City, soon the real climbing starts. The first mountain pass was the biggest climb.  I don’t know how steep these grades are, but I’m sure I’ve made improvement in the first week. However, you are still ever so slowly making progress up the passes. Nothing is better than rounding a turn and then seeing a green sign which indicates the top of the pass, in this case Dixie Pass at 5279 feet– just one foot short of a mile high.

The downside of Dixie Pass brings you into Austin Junction, which has a store, and that’s it. The store is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays according to my map.  Apparently they are closed Thursdays as well, because nobody was there. So I headed out to begin the second pass.

I’ve been really lucky because the weather has been perfect for me each day. Only one day had cloudy conditions and even that was welcome.  When you are riding through the area with the incredibly tall pine trees on either side or wide open grassland you can’t picture a better day.

Later, I eventually climbed the second pass, Tipton Pass, went downhill, and then uphill again to the top of Sumpter Pass.  By the time I got to the top I had had more than enough of climbing for the day. I put my long sleeve shirt on and was ready to enjoy the last 30 miles in to Baker City.

Going down the mountain there was a sign reading  “Baker City – 26.”

A bit further down the mountain at a cross street there was a sign saying “Baker Ciy – 26.”  Then I rode another couple miles to where the road started to level out a bit.  There was a sign at a crossroad stating “Baker City – 26.”  You want to see progress as you ride, especially on a long, tough day like this one, and not the same number again and again.

The elevation part of the maps I have show, in general, if you are climbing or descending between towns.  This showed a steady descent all the way into Baker City.  What they don’t show, and they do note this, is that you may enounter hills along the way, which I certainly did. So with some more difficult riding on the way into town, it was a good thing I had stocked up on water back in Prairie City. However, it wasn’t enough as I ran out and was dying of thirst miles before the town.  Seeing that first convenience store was the most welcome sight, where I stopped and downed a couple large bottles of Powerade.

Baker City is much larger than the other places I’ve been in, with a population of over 9000. I’ve got lots of points for free stays with a hotel chain, so I decided to use some of them for a night at the Rodeway Inn. It was a good choice. When I stopped and parked the bike at the lobby, the odometer read 90.34 miles. The longest day of the trip so far.