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Friday stats

Start: Bates State Park, Ore.

End: Dayville Presbyterian Community Church, Dayville, Ore.

The Daily Progress: 62.2 miles

Cumulative climb: 1984 feet

Cumulative descent: 3677

Elevation at endpoint: 2394

Ice cream flavors: Huckleberry and maple walnut for me, mango smoothie for Dani

The flavor we didn't know we were missing: Okay, I think I might have neglected to mention in this blog that there has been a critical food item — er, treat — that has been a staple for me: peanut M&M's. I honestly can't remember if I've shared my obsession with them on this blog, but they quickly became a staple after I realized that I couldn't carry ice cream with me and cookies were just too fragile. Anyway, we dabbled in other flavors of M&M, but nothing beats peanut in my book. Except today I came across dark chocolate peanut M&M's. The difference is subtle, but nonetheless this was a very exciting tweak in the snack bag lineup.

Food expenses: I forget / am too tired to hunt down this information right now. Dani says $30 for breakfast. $58 for groceries. $10 for ice cream, $24 for dinner.

Lodging expenses: $20 donation to the church 

Dani's daily digest

How we spent the day:

Neither of us could rally for meteor-viewing when our alarms rang at 2:30. Instead we slept another two and a half hours. 

Today's elevation profile was pretty sweet. We climbed steadily for the first 10 or so miles, but the rest of the day was all downhill. 

The descent from Dixie Pass was stunning. We dropped from the pine-shrouded Blue Mountains into the golden John Day valley, with the Strawberry Range on the horizon. 

At some point early in the ride, I off-handedly mentioned waffles. This comment got Chris obsessed with the idea of breakfast. When we reached the valley floor, Chris researched our options and picked a cafe called Squeeze In fifteen miles away in the town of John Day.

Motivated by the prospect of breakfast, we flew down the road. I did end up getting waffles (with raspberry), and Chris got a breakfast platter with a little bit of everything. After eating nothing but snacks and dehydrated foods the previous day, it was satisfying to eat something hot served on a plate.

Our second stop in John Day was the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site, which features an emporium run by two immigrants from China (herbalist Ing Hay and entrepreneur Lung On). The emporium was a community center for Chinese immigrants during the gold rush era and a local institution for the entire community when most of the Chinese immigrants left after the gold mining went bust. Unfortunately, our timing did not allow us to tour the emporium itself, but we did take in the exhibits at the interpretive center. Overall, we appreciated this commemoration of the role immigrants from China played in the history of Oregon, despite blatant racism that limited the opportunities available to them. 

Our final stop in John Day was the grocery store. Chris found a food that we had been fantasizing about for weeks: dark chocolate peanut M&Ms!

I don't remember anything from the ride between John Day and our break at the 47-mile mark. 

At the 47-mile break, we were using the map apps on our phones to learn more about the town of Dayville, where we planned to spend the night. I noticed a business called Twisted Treasures, which sounded like ice cream to me! Chris had cell phone service, so he investigated further. Twisted Treasures DID have ice cream! And smoothies! But it closed at 5 pm and it was already 3:20. We could make it before closing, but not if we dilly-dallied. I vowed to do my best to make it to Dayville before 5. 

And so, for the second time today, we were ripping through the miles for the sake of food. It was hot and sunny and the headwind was substantial, but we made it to Twisted Treasures with half an hour to spare. Chris got an ice cream cone; I got a smoothie. In addition to sweet treats and espresso drinks, Twisted Treasures sells animal pelts. If you care to guess how much a wolf pelt goes for in Dayville, Oregon, feel free to do so in the comments.

After cold treats, we found the Dayville Community Church, which hosts touring cyclists. The accommodations are generous. We have access to a bathroom, a shower, a kitchen, cabinets full of food, wifi, and laundry facilities. 

We headed to the Dayville Mercantile for dinner stuffs. I was thrilled to find lots of fruit and vegetable options. I had a slice of watermelon, a bag of grapes, and a bag of baby carrots (with ranch dressing) for dinner. Just what my body was craving. 

We returned to the church for showers (glorious!) and laundry and to repair a flat tire on my bike. It always feels like there is so much to DO; I thought we'd have a lot more time sitting around doing nothing in particular. We're now bedding down for our night on the floor of the church's fellowship room. 

Notable animals: a fluffy, peaches-n-cream kitty sitting on a porch step in Prairie City who was so pretty I assumed she was a statue until she moved, a fake owl that someone has perched on a telephone pole just east of Dayville (you fooled me!), the five kitties doing cat things in front of the Dayville Mercantile, and the three hummingbirds fighting over access to a hummingbird feeder with four spouts.