Today I need to bike to my car and drive home in time for a 7 PM meeting. I wanted to have a morning soak in a hot pool, but didn't have time to spare.

I left the hotel just before 9 AM. The distance to my car is only 11 miles, very flat. Near La Grande I foolishly stayed on the main highway to see downtown La Grande one last time. That was a mistake because the shoulder immediately became full of debris when I passed the Scenic Bikeway turnoff. Some time was lost mending a flat tire, caused by a tire wire. 3rd flat tire of the tour, only 4 miles from the end of the tour. 

Today's weather is much cloudier and colder than recent days. Temperature about 60F at 10 AM. I'm ending the tour just as a spectacular spell of warm weather ends.

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At Riverside Park it took a few minutes to pack the bike and change clothes. Finally started the 430 mile drive home at 10:35 AM. I drove almost entirely on I-84 and I-5. It was my 4th time to drive I-84 across the Blue mountains this summer.

I wanted to get a picture of one of the stern warning signs about the huge descent to Pendleton. Signs point out multiple brake test areas at the top. Signs explain that there are two runaway truck ramps farther down the descent. I ended up snapping a photo of a sign that recommends the downhill speed for heavy trucks. This section of I-84 has many crashes caused by heavy vehicles losing control of their speed. I'm sure there are also crashes caused by extreme speed differences. Cars going 75 mph down a steep grade swerving around trucks going only 25 mph.

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I'm in a hurry, so I took no tourist stops or scenic routes. I stopped for lunch at the Route 30 Grill in downtown The Dalles. I was amused to see a Rajneeshpuram highway sign on the wall. I am well aware of the history of Rajneeshpuram. In 1981, followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh formed a giant commune just outside the tiny central Oregon town of Antelope. Thousands of Rajneeshees literally took over the incorporated town of 60 people, electing a new mayor and city council who promptly changed the town's name from Antelope to Rajneeshpuram. The Rajneeshees had a hostile relationship with the local population and Oregon law enforcement agencies, especially after law enforcement concluded that Rajneeshees poisoned salad bars at 10 restaurants in Wasco county. 751 people got sick in what is regarded to be the largest biological warfare attack in US history. They also attempted to assassinate several judges and politicians. They seemed to attract enemies of all kinds-the Rajneesh Hotel in Portland was bombed by an Islamic terror group. The commune finally disintegrated in 1984 when the Bhagwan fled to India to avoid US immigration authorities (he entered with a tourist visa and stayed 3 years). I never heard if the Bhagwan took his fleet of Rolls Royce automobiles back to India, or if they were seized and sold to pay fines. He had 13 Rolls Royce cars when the 60 Minutes TV show did a segment about Rajneeshpuram, but his assistant claimed he was up to 91 Rolls Royce cars when he fled. The Bhagwan openly admitted that his enlightenment was for sale, not free. The Rajneeshpuram story is one of the weirdest soap operas in Oregon history.

Now the story about the sign. After the town legally changed its name from Antelope to Rajneeshpuram, ODOT was reluctant to change highway signs that directed travelers to Antelope. After keeping the name Rajneeshpuram for many months, ODOT made two small Rajneeshpuram signs to cover up the Antelope letters on two highway signs. But the Bhagwan fled the country just as ODOT was preparing to install the Rajneeshpuram signs. The commune quickly folded and dispersed, and the remaining residents promptly changed the town name back to Antelope. The signs were never installed, are brand new, unweathered. Eventually the sign shop gave the unused signs to somebody who wanted them as souvenirs.

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I got home at 6:15 PM after driving 431 miles with several traffic backups in the Portland area. I was on time for my 7 PM Planning Commission meeting. In one day I went from deeply immersed in a bike tour to deeply immersed in home activities, a more sudden transition than usual.

Distance: 10.8 miles
Average Speed: 10.6 mph
Ascent/Descent: +94/-18 feet