Oregon

We are not going to fuel up at Jerry’s Restaurant next door. We had a really terrible experience there last night. The waitress could not get anybody’s order straight including ours, and she forgot everything anyone told her. They ran out of blue cheese dressing, which of course, is what we ordered. It was a disaster.

People in the back room of the restaurant started giggling. Not only did our waitress forget orders and was disorganized, they all were. How could one establishment hire so many spaced out waitresses? When we were finally able to leave, many people were waiting for tables. I almost told them all to find another place to eat but decided to let not to say anything.

We had a rest day here in Klamath. We lolled around, then we rode along the city’s bike path into town to find a bike shop. The bike shop people recommended the diner next door where we had a wonderful breakfast. This downtown block had everything we needed. Next to the diner was a hair salon which had a 10:30 opening for me. There was a barber shop around the corner for Bob. We both got haircuts.

Bob got a new wheel. His wheel had been giving him so much trouble. They didn’t have a strong, touring wheel, but we decided to go for it anyway, since what we had was not safe. The helpful mechanics in the shop on Main Street also tweaked my derailleur to get the shifting better. I did not have the standard gears that came with my Bianchi (32-42-52) since I had lowered my gearing (24-39-52), and the shifting was tricky. Not an optimum range for shifting, but it saved my knees.

We strolled alongside the river (looking for the falls in Klamath Falls) while we waited for the guys to work on our bikes. We walked in our riding shoes and now our feet are sore. Those shoes are not made for walking. Now Bob is whining.

Bob is lying here naked, vegging out watching TV. He won’t move. The only thing he wanted to do was buy post cards and we didn't get any.

Riding north to Klamath Falls the wind was blowing at our backs. It was an easy ride. Today the wind is coming from the northwest and it will be right in our faces unless it changes again.

Highway 97 leaving Klamath Falls is very heavily traveled. The first section follows the lake with mountains dropping to the road. Portions of it had those concrete barriers to prevent rocks from cascading onto the roadway. This is splendid for the vehicles, but to those of us on bicycles it felt very hazardous being squeezed between the 16 wheels of a rig and a rigid cement barrier. Whenever we reached one of those turns with the barriers, we crossed the road and walked on the other side. It felt much safer. I wondered though how long it was going to take us to complete this section.

Once past the scary parts we were able to enjoy the scenery. Off to the left (west) the Cascades emerged clear and crisp against the sparkling blue skies. I was proud to be able to ride up what they had told us was a big hill, but when we got to the top it never flattened out. It wasn’t a climb, it just wasn’t flat and then there were those headwinds. What a grind! Up on the mesa there was nothing to distract us since the road was absolutely straight and enclosed on both sides by pine trees.. I started counted cycle strokes between posts. Riding on flat found and making 8 mph. Ughhh!

In Chemult we found a comfy inn with a good restaurant down the street with a lounge. The bartender knew how to make a martini, so 2 of those helped our dispositions. We had meat (prime rib) for dinner. What else should you eat in grazing country?

We’re tired. It is 8:15 and Bob is snoozing. Not much more to say.

We couldn’t ride up in towards Crater Lake or along the Cascade road since there was still so much snow on the roads in the mountains. The morning ride was crispy in the low 30s especially in the tree shadows. Gloves were needed until the sun reached the treetops. I also used my thin polypro socks as an extra layer to keep my tootsies warm.

The 66 mile route from Chemult to Bend was great. Except for the horrendous traffic here in Bend coming in on 97, we felt like we hadn’t even been riding. We had a wide shoulder most of the day, tail wind, and beautiful weather with a good temperature. We stopped at the interesting Lava Bed Visitor Center. Note though that we did not hike to the top of the crater.

When we arrived in Bend, we didn’t even feel poopy. After checking into a motel room Bob got his wheel rechecked at Hector’s Bike Shop. Then we cleaned up and walked to an attractive downtown. The Deschutes River runs through the center of town. We sipped a beer at the local brew pub, decided to dine there, then we came back and watched Frazier on TV. Pretty exciting night.

Bob also noticed this morning that people who work in bike shops are particularly friendly. They are pretty much there because they want to be there. They like working on bikes. The guys here were no exception. Very friendly and helpful.

By the way the State of Oregon provides free bicycle maps of the state. They have a coast route map and another of the whole state. Bicycle shops, ascents and descents are indicated with chevrons and the roads best to ride on are indicated by different colors. Sorry, I don’t have the address here in front of me. After we finish this journaling, I will post as many links and address information that I used to plan this trip.

We left Bend this morning. First thing to do was buy Bob some cheap shoes. The really cheap light-weight shoes he bought before we left Erie were not really shoes they were slippers. He couldn’t walk in them without griping. We went to Wal-Mart where he found $10 sneakers.

Traffic in Bend is just awful. Thankfully the phone book had a map of Bend bike routes, so we found some back roads. Got lost a couple of times. I said, "There will be somewhere to eat on our way out of town. Lets’ just get out of here", and so, we left Bend and there was no food. Don’t think I didn’t hear about it. We stopped at the airport. They said we would have to back 5 or more miles or continue all the way to Prineville. So after eating some goodies in our bag, we took off. Prineville was only about 28 miles away so we figured it wouldn’t take that long through the rolling desert with sage brush and juniper. Pretty good shoulder most of the way. Not too much traffic until we hit highway 126 where there was lots and lots of traffic.

Luckily there was a store at Powell Butte where we stopped for sandwiches to tide us over. One of those stores that sells gas, fried food, milk, batteries, saws, local crafts, transmissions and doughnuts. We saw many of these across the USA. 12 more miles to Prineville. I was saying "Oh, the road is not so bad. At least it has a good shoulder", and then the shoulder ended. We dropped down into Prineville. The road drops straight down to the valley floor from the butte. There is no shoulder. I screamed down the hill. Bob didn’t like it. I waited for him at the bottom.

There is a little campground outside of town. It was very nice today. Scattered clouds. Now it is windy. We washed clothes, we are going to work on our bicycles, and then have dinner.

Got up at dawn…the drag of camping is that I have to leave the warmth of the sleeping bag and dress to pee in the morning. We had a great night. We both slept really well. It was a nice grassy park. No one else is up yet. We packed up and rode down to the same restaurant where we had dinner last night. Bob had waffles with whipped cream, and I had a cinnamon roll. A friendly old couple who was traveling asked us many questions all through breakfast.

We took off east toward the town of Mitchell. At first – probably 5 or so miles- were flat. We rode into a headwind which wasn’t supposed to be there. We went up to and then around the Ochoco Reservoir, another 5 miles of flat around the reservoir. Afterwards we started the most wonderful, gradual ascent. The valley just kept winding up through the mountains – gurgling streams along the side. Ultimately we had 2000 feet, but there were only two little steep sections, and they weren’t even too bad. Maybe I’m getting a little stronger. It was lovely with meadows and flowers, and about 35 miles into the ride we hit the summit.

We had a 7 mile descent. I was glad we rode it west to east. I thought the east side was steeper. I had quite a scare going down the mountain when my tire blew off the rim. I had a flat careening down the mountain. I came to a successful stop (means that I did not fall). Our second flat of the day –one for Bob, one for Deb.

Deb on the road to Mitchell

The last few miles into Mitchell became tedious due to a forceful wind blowing toward us. It was also rather warm. We got to Mitchell, found a diner and a root beer float, then checked into the Skyhook Motel with its 8 rooms. Cleaned up and walked down the hill through town. Before we knew it we knew almost everybody in the town. We bought ourselves each a soda, sat outside the general store with the deputy sheriff. Everybody waved at Deputy Bob. We lounged on the bench talking to Deputy Bob for a while.

We got up and we were at the café at 7 o’clock. We wanted to get a head start on our uphill to the top of Mitchell Grade. Nice breakfast with the local lady. It was windy and in our face. We stopped a couple of times going up the twisty grade. After we finished Mitchell Pass, we came down through a beautiful canyon following a stream. Finally the stream met the John Day River. We passed through Picture Gorge and then another 7 miles to a diner in Dayville. From Dayville to John Day was all along the river with a gradual incline through lush fields of green cow food. Totally beautiful with the hills still green. Ridges are still capped with snow.

    Bob on the Road to John Day

Once we reached the summit, it was downhill or flat all the way to John Day, except that it was another 63 miles and a good portion of it the wind was right in our face and it was very hot. The thermometers were recording 90F, but out on the pavement it had to be way hotter than that. I was drooping. Bob was getting worried, I was turning pink, he was wearing his pink jersey and I was pinker than he was. At Mt. Vernon we stopped for a refreshing drink and for the last 8 miles it either cooled down or the wind shifted to our backs. We made it to John Day.

This morning we got up even earlier and rode along the John Day River 13 miles of flat to Prairie City for breakfast. Then we rode alongside the Strawberry Mountains until the John Day River veered off. We climbed Dixie Pass and headed along some other ridges. It is pretty in the spring with wild flowers and lupine blooming. Every time I step off the road into the woods to pee I find other little flowers like violets. The vista is wide open and air is very clear.

We had a 9 mile climb up through grazing lands to Dixie Pass, then down, then up another little pass and down, and up another pass then down. On final descent, I heard what sounded like a gunshot. Bob was right next to me. He blew out his tire. It reverberated. Anyway his wheel looks like a pretzel now. It’s all wobbly. We trued it on the road, but will work on it some more tonight. It’s 8 more slow miles to Unity. The slice in the tube was 8-10" long; Bob said 18" long. It just totally blew the tire.

We have reached the town of Unity. I’m really glad I didn’t grow up here. It’s small and windy. This town at least has some services. Some of the communities we passed through today are mail addresses only. If a town is listed on a map, don’t count on it for lunch.

We stayed in the motel rather than the campground because it looked drab and dreary. We didn’t want to leave our gear unprotected while we went to explore Unity. Also it was very windy with a chance of showers.

Big scare for Deb. I thought it was a fly that got down my jersey. I thought I ought to get rid of it and I opened up the zipper and it was a bee. Felt a sting or something. Was it a wasp or bee biting me? Or stinging? We were in the middle of nowhere. I started worrying about an anaphylactic reaction. I carry my bee sting kit, but have never had to use it by myself. I later decided it was a yellow jacket biting me. It is in the same spot on my right breast where the last bee stung me. I was wearing the same jersey. For the rest of the trip, no matter how hot or humid, I kept my shirts totally zipped up around my neck. You know those women who ride with only halter tops…those are bee catchers to me!!!

Bob hung his bike up onto a tree branch and got the wheel pretty trued. I think we will be able to make it to Vale tomorrow and then on into Idaho.

This might have been classified as almost the perfect day, if Bob hadn’t had such problems with his wheel. The start of the morning was through sagebrush hills then following a curving canyon up a creek with aspen growing along the roadside. Meadows stretched out filled with lots of cows. All of them stopped to stare at us as we passed. Most just stare, some run from us. It was a high mesa. No traffic. Great route except there are no services either.

Unity, as we had earlier said, wasn’t really all that attractive and we were dreading that we couldn’t get the wheel rideable and we might have to stay there a couple of days. There is nothing there except a bar with a pool table. The kids go from one store to the other store buying candy.

Today we are going through sage and grass, lots of alfalfa and hay fields, luscious tailwind. A root beer float at the end of the day is quite a treat…there is a DQ here in Vale and guess where we stopped after we got cleaned up? We walked into town looking for tubes at both the hardware store and the lumberyard. They all have mountain bike tubes only. Nothing for a road bike. We will nurse it along until we get to Ontario tomorrow.

Plus we had two more little passes today-Eldorado Summit and some other hill. I swear we must be getting stronger. I don’t know. Wait until we get to the Rocky Mountains and climb 5000 feet in a day. So far I am feeling smug.

We left Vale headed for Ontario where there was supposedly a bicycle shop. We needed to have some more work done on Bob’s wheel. When we called the shop, they were not very knowledgeable, so we headed south following Highway 26 into Boise.

We got a little testy with each other along the way. Bob took off without me for a couple of miles. That was a no-no…we had promised to keep each other in sight for the whole trip.

The road was busy with a narrow shoulder. The closer we got to the city, the busier it got and the rougher it got. We finally got to central Boise where we found a competent bike shop (Idaho Mountain Touring). Bob ordered a new touring wheel, which will be built tomorrow.