Start: Ochoco Reservoir State Park
End: Mitchell, OR
Miles: 39.36
Seat Time: 3 hours 29 minutes
Average Speed: 11.2mph
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
To Mitchell
Look at me being responsible. I made it over the next pass to Mitchell and even though it was only 40 miles and I felt I could easily do more, I decided to call that a day and take things slow. The knee was cooperative but touchy. If I didn't do exactly what it wanted (which seemed to change every pedal stroke) it would get angry but at least it wasn't persistently worsening like it had been on Monday.
My timing on rain today has been flawless, and not in a good way. I took my time setting out this morning and started during a dry moment. Minutes later however it gave up its waffling from drizzle to no drizzle and just decided to pour. It did that pretty much all the way to the top of the pass. See what I mean about bizzaro? Climbing 2000 feet at four to seven miles per hour in pouring rain and gusting wind whilst getting overtaken by trucks and RVs who may or may not bother to find their way closer to the yellow line as they rip by, and yet I was having a grand old time. Of course now that I'm inside it's dry out there.
To be fair, as I came into the valley it dried out for a spell and it was as if I had gone from Western Washington to Idaho in less than a mile. It dried out and the foliage changed. The ride up felt like wet boyscout camp in the Cascades and the ride down felt like summer in Sun Valley. The vista was as beautiful as it was surprising. On a mental coin toss I followed the sign for the Mitchell Business Loop (40 more miles to the next sign of life but I was already soaked so I'd have been happy to carry on) to get some food and see what excitement could be found in the town of Mitchell.
My timing on rain today has been flawless, and not in a good way. I took my time setting out this morning and started during a dry moment. Minutes later however it gave up its waffling from drizzle to no drizzle and just decided to pour. It did that pretty much all the way to the top of the pass. See what I mean about bizzaro? Climbing 2000 feet at four to seven miles per hour in pouring rain and gusting wind whilst getting overtaken by trucks and RVs who may or may not bother to find their way closer to the yellow line as they rip by, and yet I was having a grand old time. Of course now that I'm inside it's dry out there.
To be fair, as I came into the valley it dried out for a spell and it was as if I had gone from Western Washington to Idaho in less than a mile. It dried out and the foliage changed. The ride up felt like wet boyscout camp in the Cascades and the ride down felt like summer in Sun Valley. The vista was as beautiful as it was surprising. On a mental coin toss I followed the sign for the Mitchell Business Loop (40 more miles to the next sign of life but I was already soaked so I'd have been happy to carry on) to get some food and see what excitement could be found in the town of Mitchell.
Bizzaro
It should be noted by the way that it's really great being out here. It doesn't really make sense to describe the scenario because it's hard to believe that such a thing would be fun or relaxing. To simply describe the situation would sound terrible, but for some bizzare reason it's all pretty excellent. There's nowhere I'd rather be right now.
Make for the pass!
I don't think I could have had a better place to get stuck hurting. Cheap, hot showers, phone power, even a bit of an internet signal and the campground host let me have some ice for my knee. I took a little spin around the campground this morning and I think I'll have a go at getting over the next pass to Mitchell. It's just 40 miles and less elevation gain than the last pass. The towns between here and Baker City are pretty small so I may be out of cell reception for a while. Baker City is three to four days off but the T-Mobile fairy may visit John Day which is just two.
Repacking my gear in the warm, dry bathroom then I'm off. Oh yeah, it's raining. One of the other two campers here said it's one of the wettest times he's seen in Oregon. He normally has to start irrigating by the first part of May and he hasn't yet touched his hoses. Awesome.
Repacking my gear in the warm, dry bathroom then I'm off. Oh yeah, it's raining. One of the other two campers here said it's one of the wettest times he's seen in Oregon. He normally has to start irrigating by the first part of May and he hasn't yet touched his hoses. Awesome.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Day 5 Numbers
Start: Ochoco Reservoir State Park Hiker/Biker Campsite 2
End: Ochoco Reservoir State Park Hiker/Biker Campsite 1
Miles: 0.01
Seat Time: 0 hours 0 minutes
Average Speed: infinite
The other campsite was a little flatter. Spent the day musing and icing and crossing fingers.
End: Ochoco Reservoir State Park Hiker/Biker Campsite 1
Miles: 0.01
Seat Time: 0 hours 0 minutes
Average Speed: infinite
The other campsite was a little flatter. Spent the day musing and icing and crossing fingers.
Day 4 Numbers
Start: Highway East of Sisters
End: Ochoco Reservoir State Park
Miles: 39.41
Seat Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
Average Speed: 11.5mph
I was wrong about the top speed thing. Apparently I went 37.6 down the hill into Prineville.
End: Ochoco Reservoir State Park
Miles: 39.41
Seat Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
Average Speed: 11.5mph
I was wrong about the top speed thing. Apparently I went 37.6 down the hill into Prineville.
Healthfully
In the interest of not being an idiot, I won't be riding today. We'll see if no miles can do what easy miles couldn't. I'll probably see if I can get to the far side of Ochoco Lake, away from the highway, and hang out with a book.
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