Squad Deep

STATS

Halfway, Oregon to Baker City, Oregon

Distance: 56 miles

Elevation: +4,409 ft / -3,560 ft

I woke up knowing that today had two climbs we had to handle. One being at the start of the day, and another towards the end. We planned on riding for 55 miles, which could be considered a light day, but with these hills it takes out much more than you’d expect. We again enjoyed a sunny morning, and cracked into some decadent cinnamon buns from the restaurant last night. We felt the heat early on, and knew today would be a scorcher. I hit the road first because I wanted to stop in the next town for a coffee. I pedal to the pavement and instantly was welcomed by the gradual, but exhausting climb. Your legs quickly warm up, not because of the weather, but because of the effort. The sun was brutally hot for it only being 8:30 AM, but once over the ascent I flew down into town. I scanned for a mom and pop diner, and found exactly that. I ordered a coffee and struck up a conversation with some ladies who were just traveling through town. *Hungry cyclist story alert* I noticed one woman didn’t even TOUCH her biscuits and gravy, so when the waitress came to clear the table, I shamelessly asked to have the perfectly fine meal and eat it. She happily handed over the plate, and I went to town on some biscuits and gravy. I remembered how delicious B+G was, and this made me miss being in the south where I would have it at least every other day.

After second breakfast, I strolled outside and found the crew had arrived in town. We chilled for a bit more before hitting the long stretch to town. I decided to ride along with them today because I’ve been enjoying our time together so much, and with a long stretch ahead, I figured we would all benefit from conversation distractions from the heat. The ride took us through some rad canyons once again, and one by one we cruised along the winding road.

I rode behind the tandem bikes holding Meg and Dex for a bit, and watched as Dex pedaled standing up, swaying the bike side to side. Such a smile worthy moment. We stopped in some shade for a moment and ate some snacks/drank our beverages. I quickly realized I was extremely low on water for how far we had to town and how much more climbing we needed to finish. We discussed meeting at the Oregon Trail Historic Museum 15 miles away, and from that point on I picked up my pace in order to reach water quicker. The climb was a grind, only because I mentally knew I was low on aqua. Once over the hill, I noticed a building in the distance. Except it was a mile off the road and a steep climb. I hoped to the water Gods it wasn’t the climb I had to make to retrieve water, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed. I approached the ranger station fee booth like I had been lost at sea for weeks, and she graciously allowed entrance to hike up to the visitor center for water. I stopped for a second, just mentally focusing on this last mile to climb because that sucker was steep. Like most challenges on this trip though, it’s just a matter of how bad you want it, and I wanted (needed) water bad. Once I reached the top, I could have collected the sweat along the way and drank that as a gallon jug of water, but the water fountain called my name. Like a sponge that hasn’t been used in weeks, I rehydrated myself to the point of a stomach ache, then walked it off through the museum. The Oregon Trail museum was fascinating, and I walked through the timeline of what a traveler experienced during the treacherous 2,000+ miles. Unbelievable stuff, like how it was stated 1 in 10 people died along the way.

I eventually walked back to my bike and was asked a few questions from a couple having lunch. Another example of how small the world is, THEY LIVE IN RICHMOND. Never ceases to amaze me. We made plans to meet up in Eugene once I arrived, and was told there was a mighty reuben sandwich I couldn’t miss while there.

After chatting away with my new Richmond friends, I rolled into Baker City with Dean and Kylie, and made sure to make faces at Kylie when she looked into her rear mirror. We arrive in town shortly after leaving, and split paths towards our destinations for the evening. Before meeting up with my Warmshower’s host, I went to a coffeeshop for a brew and journaling. I’m a sucker for a good coffeeshop, if you can tell. I rolled over to Gayle’s home, and we shared stories of her career working for the forest service, hosting cyclists, and hanging out with Lucy, her beautiful dog. Gayle offered me to use her laundry, so I washed some clothes and hung them out to dry. For some reason, seeing all my clothes on a clothing line looked neat, so I snapped a picture. Yolo.

I made a 8 PM Safeway run for groceries because I had a craving for ice cream. There was a sale for black cherry gelato, so you know by morning I had an empty pint sitting outside of my tent. I drifted to sleep easily because tomorrow, well, tomorrow I will be taking a REST DAY.

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