June 28, 2006
Day 9: To Ochoco summit campground
I got up at 7:30 AM after the sun heated up my tent. That seems strange because I'm more accustomed to camping in a shady forest. I got on the road shortly after 9 AM, but by then the sky was hazy and partly cloudy.
The day starts with a long but not-to-steep climb up Ochoco creek and Marks creek to Ochoco Divide, elevation 4722 feet. The landscape ss mostly pastures with scattered trees. I was intrigued to see that the creeks are very narrow, only 4-6 feet wide. But the water is clear and moving very fast.
At 3500 feet elevation it started to be forested and the temperature was noticeably cooler.
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I got to Ochoco summit at 2 PM and turned into the forest service campground at the summit just to look around. After a few minutes I decided to stay there. I could easily go much farther but decided to camp at this high, cool, forested oasis. The temperature would surely be much hotter down in the valley.
I set up the tent, made a shower, relaxed, and made dinner. It was very quiet. Back in Bend I purchased a new pump for my Coleman Peak1 dual-fuel stove. I finally got around to installing the new pump and the stove is working great. So I will mail home the Optimus Nova stove that my wife mailed to me (I've carried it for 3 days so far).
Later in the afternoon 3 touring cyclist showed up at the campground. I didn't talk to them very much. They are a father and two teenage sons attempting to bike cross country in only 7 weeks. My impression was that they are in such a hurry that they don't have time for much fun. They were the only cross-country cyclists I saw during 5 days on the Transmerica bike route.
The high temperature today was 85F at 3PM. But then clouds rolled in and it became cooler and more humid. It seems like the heat wave is ended for now.
Distance: 24.8 mi. (39.7 km)
Climbing: 1538 ft. (466 m)
Average Speed: 6.5 mph (10.4 km/h)
Maximum Speed: 15.5 mph (24.8 km/h)
Today's ride: 25 miles (40 km)
Total: 377 miles (607 km)
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