Larry's log:
Everyone was real excited this morning at breakfast. It was not just because we were going to ride, but because American Lance Armstrong leads the Tour de France by over six minutes! At least THEY get a rest day during their tour. We kind of did today, due to a nice tailwind. Today's ride had an optional 16 mile round-trip to an Oregon Trail museum. Believe it or not, I passed. I guess I could have ridden the extra miles, but history isn't really my thing. As an example, I fell asleep watching the Oregon Trail video they sent us before we started this tour. Sometime when I'm driving out here, I'll check out the museum. Probably better than half of the riders did check it out today, though. They recommended that the museum riders start riding at 6, and the rest after that. I probably should have waited until 7, but left at 6:30. The increased tailwind was evident. It was also cooler, still about 60 in the morning, but no warmer than the 80s later on. We finished up our interstate riding during the first 25 miles today. Shortly after turning off, we crossed the 45th parallel, halfway between the equator and the north pole. We were heading south at that time, and it was noticeably warmer on the south side of the parallel! There were some mountains with snow visible about 20 miles off. I was told the peaks were about 9000 feet. We rode alongside them, but didn't have to climb over or around them. The town of Haines, at about 32 miles, was a neat place. It had a short main street with the storefronts all done in wood to give that rustic "Oregon Trail" look. They had a good city park and some Oregon Trail lore. There were a few small log cabins constructed to represent buildings during the 1800s. Baker City, another ten miles down the road, was a larger town. It also had a nicely redone Main Street. Several riders stopped there for cappucino. Those who started much earlier than 7, and did not go to the museum needed to kill some time, or they would be too early for the lunch stop. That's one thing I've noticed throughout Oregon, is an abundance of drive-through Expresso and Capuccino bars. After this, we were on Old Route 30 for about 20 miles. There wasn't much on it, mostly vacant fields or small horse farms. The next rest stop was at an abandoned motel and cafe. I was there 45 minutes before they were scheduled to set up, since I hadn't gone to the museum or killed any time. So, I decided I would just wait there until they arrived to set up. It was actually quite peaceful, being alone here and thinking about how it was probably a major thoroughfare sometime before the interstate was built. After about 30 minutes, some other tour riders came by, so I decided to hop on with them, and we would wait at lunch. Lunch was in a rest area near the interstate. We were told to stay on the pavement and mowed grass area, as there could be rattlesnakes around. I didn't see or hear any. We were early for lunch, and waited about 20 minutes for them to finish setting up. It was another good lunch; pasta salad, grilled chicken, bread, chips, cake, soda, fruit, salads, etc. Hungry? This wasn't much of a climbing day. There was about a 400 foot climb near the town of Huntington, about ten miles after lunch. After that, it was pretty much descending or flat. At about 90 miles, it flattened out as we approached the wide Snake River. From there until the finish, there was a number of farms, all being irrigated. Some of them smelled really good. I noticed purple flowers in those areas. I thought maybe it was lavender. Someone else said it might have been alfalfa that had gone to seed. Whatever it was, it certainly smelled better than the cattle feedlots we'll be riding by near the end of the day tomorrow. Ontario is a decent sized city. There is a Sizzler restaurant (all you can eat) just across the street. Most of the riders seemed to eat there (imagine that). The place probably can't understand why they had such a busy night and lost so much money. We were tempted to ask them to stamp our hands on the way out, so we could come back later on! We're now in the Mountain Time Zone. Tomorrow, breakfast is at 6 am. We are knocking on Idaho's door.
-- Larry Schwartz
Another beautiful morning for riding!!! But warm clothes were required for much of the morning. Daniel and I did not opt for the museum tour, since we knew that we would be losing an hour due to the time change. The first part of the ride consisted of a 1000 foot climb, and then a really, really fast downhill!!! And even more so with a tailwind. The scenary was incredible and the old railroad towns were neat. We especially enjoyed riding though Baker City and checking out the old buildings. Even saw a deer, just outside of town. Our second flat of the trip occurred between the 2nd and 3rd rest stop. This was actually a good thing since the rear tire needed to be changed, and the flat would be an excuse to do just that. Plus rest stop 3 did not open until 1030 am, and we would have most likely have arrived to the site at 1000 am. We did join up with a few other cyclists after our tire change and had a fun time chatting. The lunch stop at the rest area was great. The crew even made hummus for me!! I was impressed!! We were warned about the rattlesnakes in the area, so I did pay close attention to the ground. It was another quick ride to the last rest stop, about 20 miles down the road. This rest stop was located underneath the highway, but unfortunately it lacked much in the way of facilities!!! By the time we stopped, I really needed to use a restroom and was forced to climb up the hill and duck by the side of the bridge. I started getting a little nervous when I saw 2 dead rattlesnakes. And I really got scared when I heard a hissing sound!! I took off quickly down the hill after that, pulling my bike shorts up on the way down. Daniel and I had a very quick ride back to the motel and were one of the first cyclists in. Larry had already located the Sizzler restaurant, so we did not need to decide on a dinner location. The quick swim and shower felt refreshing and our dinner was truly enjoyed! We will enter Idaho tomorrow, and bike 138 miles to Mountain Home.
Judith Jolly (and Daniel Schaaf)