August 1, 2006
Day 61: Baker City, OR to John Day, OR
79.74 Miles, 6:32:52 Ride Time, 12.33 Average Speed, 33.6 Maximum Speed
It was sunny but very chilly when I left this morning - the lady at the motel told me it was only in the high 30's. It was hard for me to believe it was this cold on the first day of August. I decided to put on my arm warmers, but could only find one of them, so I put on my rain jacket. I skipped breakfast, and just bought a few snacks at a convenience store instead. I felt energized after my day off yesterday, which was good - the ride to today's destination of John Day was nearly eighty miles, and would require me to climb up three mountain passes: Sumpter, Tipton and Dixie.
It was a pleasant ride out of Baker City, with very little traffic. I rode South for a while, then made my way along Powder River and Phillips Lake.
The climb up Sumpter Pass wasn't too bad - the elevation chart on the back of my map made it look harder than it was. Of course, these climbs are always easier in the morning before it gets hot, and while my energy level is higher.
I passed by Whitney, which has been a ghost town since the 1940's, but still contains a few ramshackle buildings. I climbed up to Tipton Pass, which was harder than Sumpter; also making it less pleasant than the earlier climb was a little bit of road work that was in progress. Around this time the traffic became heavier, and I started seeing log trucks. Fortunately, the drivers were relatively courteous, and there was a nice shoulder to ride on.
By the time I got to Austin Junction, the first opportunity for a rest stop of the day, I was ready for some real food - I had ridden more than 50 miles without stopping since I left Baker City. My maps showed that there was a restaurant/grocery/gas station in the little town (although no population was listed - that usually means the place is just a "bump in the road"). Sure enough, I soon rode up to a place with signs advertising ice cream, milkshakes, and the "best burgers in town."
There were a few cars parked outside the place, so I was surprised and bitterly disappointed when I found the door locked, and saw the "Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays" sign. There wasn't anything else in Austin Junction, of course - I would have to ride another sixteen miles to Prairie City to get anything for lunch.
It was about seven miles from Austin Junction to Dixie Pass, the third and last significant climb of the day. It wasn't especially difficult, and the descent down to Prairie City was easy and pleasant - it had never really gotten hot today, fortunately.
Prairie City (pop. 1,080) seemed like a pleasant enough place, but since John Day, my destination for the day was only 13 or 14 miles down the road, I decided not to stop for lunch. I did, however, stop in the Ranger Station in town, to find out what was going on with the fire near the town of Sisters, where I planned to be in a few days. They people there made a few calls, and told me that the road up and down Mckenzie Pass would probably still be closed in a few days. That meant I would have to take the longer, less scenic route to Eugene... Well, at least it wasn't the interstate...
It was a very easy, slightly downhill ride to John Day (pop. 1,821). I stopped at the first motel I saw, the Dreamers Lodge, and found that it was slightly old, very clean, and a good deal. I got a room with one queen bed and one single bed for only $5 more than the price of a single queen - I've found it much more pleasant to get an extra bed, which is such a convenient place to lay out all of my clothes, etc.
After I checked in and showered, I made my by-now-predictable stop at the local Dairy Queen, then went looking for a supermarket. Virtually everything in the town was laid out on the main road, US 26, so it was actually a fairly long walk to the other end of town to buy some snacks.
On the way back to the motel, I stopped by a Subway and got my usual plain, boring sandwich. Apparently, almost no one ever orders a meat-cheese-bread sandwich at Subway, because the employees always question me - "No mayo?", "No veggies?", etc.
I took my Subway sandwich and snacks back to the Dreamers Lodge, and ate dinner in my room while I listened to music and worked on this journal. Despite its length, and three significant climbs, this had been an enjoyable day of riding
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Today's ride: 80 miles (129 km)
Total: 3,911 miles (6,294 km)
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