July 20, 2021
Day 69 - Cambridge, ID to Halfway, OR
Valley of the shadow of death
Today, the alarm went off but no one listened. I think we slept until 630 and slowly made breakfast, coffee in the coffee maker, re-lubed the chains, and cleaned up.
We left around 9 and stopped in town for an electrolyte beverage. The first 15 miles of the day was a climb to the ridge of the snake river dam. It was really tough and there was alot of headwind. My chubs kept shifting to a higher gear without my permission, and it was really jarring because I was pushing really hard. Everyone was pretty lethargic and it felt like we were in a slump from the last few days. Finally we made it to the top and took a short break. The downhill to the reservoir was fast. I was going around 35 mph before it leveled out a bit. The windy road around the dam was great. We were only passed by a few cars and a handful of motorcycles. We passed the dam and followed the river (reservoir?) To another dam where we crossed the snake river into Oregon.
We were still following the river for a bit and stopped to pick wild black berries and Mary found a plum tree. Mary got in the water but I was too lazy so we headed up the hill and out of the reservoir area. We met Mark and Alex at a closed convenience store and refilled water. We rested for a few minutes to get ready for the last 15 miles. It was a bit hilly and windy, but not too bad. We made it to halfway at 230 and stoped at the grocery store. (We did cross back into pacific times again, so we got the extra hour back). We were pretty tired of cooking, which usually means ramen, so we planned to eat out. All we got at the grocery was snacks and stuff for breakfast. Mary had got us camping spots at an RV park down the road, so we went over to shower and set up before dinner. The shower was nice and we chilled out for a little while. It's been a few days since we have had phone service, so me and Mary went to the restaurant early in hopes of finding wifi. We lucked out there. The food service was pretty slow, but that's ok since we just want an air conditioned seat anyway. After paying we just went to sit at the bar and make plans. We arranged for a warm showers host in baker city and looked over the map to make plans. It was only 7 pm and we were just killing time for it to cool off before bed.
Food of the trip: Boulder canyon malt vinegar and salt chips. We buy a bag anytime we see them.
Bike mods: $5 cup holder from Walmart. I did lose my bottle on a particularly rough bump, but I also lost a bucket on the same, so it's pretty solid. Very easy drinking while biking so i stay more hydrated.
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Mileage:60
Altitude gain:3200
Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 3,585 miles (5,769 km)
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