July 26, 2021
Day 75 - Mitchell, OR to Smith rock, OR
Quadruple flat
Today we woke up and got everything ready. We weren't in a rush, because there was so much to do. We ate food, signed the logbook, and took our bikes outside. The weather was overcast, which was great for the climb since it has been so hot recently. The girls took off first and said they would meet us at the top of the pass. Mary, mark, Alex and I left shortly after.
About 3 miles into the ride, Mary's front tire looked pretty flat, so we pulled over. We found a goat head and a small pin hole in the tube, so we replaced the tube. As we were putting the wheel into the frame, the tube started leaking again. We pulled it back off and patched both tubes. We found a second boat head and removed it. We put the first tube back into the tire, mounted it and rolled down the road, but there was a lump in the tire. We stopped again to take it off and as we did, the tire lost air quickly. The tube blew out along the seam and was unpatchable, so we put the second patched tube back in and luckily it held.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 1 | Link |
3 years ago
Luckily I was able to text the guys what happened and we started our way up Ochoco pass. After about 2 hours of climbing, we made it to the top. We had planned to meet everyone at the top, but I didnt expect to see everyone waiting since we took so long with the tire, but sure enough, everyone was there. We chatted for a little while and the girls (Mary, Mallory, Keely, and Meghan) all decided to ride down part of the pass naked. They sent us guys down the hill and apparently rode 10 miles naked. We met up with everyone in prineville at the grocery store. I think the naked ride was relatively uneventful, although they said they probably got recorded a couple of times. We ate lunch at the grocery store and the girls headed off to their warm showers host.
We were going on to smith rock today and they are going to bend and then crater lake. It was the last time we would see each other on the trip since Astoria is only 6 or 7 days away. We all said goodbye and went our separate ways. It was pretty sad, but we want to get together again in New England for some more riding.
Mary, mark, Alex and I rode the last 20 to smith. It was hot and sunny by then so we didn't do much.
We walked down to the river and walked in it. I found some leeches/biting worms on my feet, so that was pretty gross. We slogged back up to the campground and ate hot noodles. I showered right after and by that time it was 8 pm. We went back to our camp spot and chilled out while the sun was going down.
| Heart | 5 | Comment | 0 | Link |
It was fun to watch climbers with headlamps going up the cliff faces. We were going to sleep without the fly, but I got cold feet since there were chances of thunderstorms, so we put it on anyway. It was pretty hot all evening though, and even though our spot was beautiful, it was a bit slanted, so I kept sliding into the corner of the tent. Oh well, it was well worth it.
Mileage:67
Altitude gain:2900
Today's ride: 67 miles (108 km)
Total: 3,882 miles (6,247 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 6 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |