The Calm Before the Climbs

July 11, 2022

Barn of the day…didn’t want to disappoint

Sign of the day… crows or bad guys? We weren’t sticking around to find out.

The sky can’t be real it’s just too blue

Left Dayville this morning heading for Prairie City. Along the way we went through Mount Vernon (takes longer to type it than it did to ride through it) and John Day. John Day was a bit more substantial of a town and had a good place for us to get an early lunch. After John Day, next stop was Prairie City.

A break from ride talk for a moment of social commentary. We’re all tired of Covid and at the same time, it seems like every has it or at least knows someone who does. Pause for a moment to think about the impact Covid has had on you and maybe your town. Now think about what it means to all of these tiny towns we’re riding through. More stores are closed than open and the places that are open have reduced days and/or hours. There were limited options for shopping and eating in these towns before Covid and now it’s worse. Is an unseen impact of Covid the death of the quilt of small towns that make up America?

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Along todays route it seemed like we rode through multiple terrains. Of course each one had its own beauty be it a mountain, a river, a field,etc. It was mostly a flat day as we geared up for tomorrow’s three climbs up and over the passes. Yes I saw some cool barns and may have taken a picture or two. Saw snow on a mountain and found the road sign of the day “Murderers Creek” … we sprinted by that place 😳.

Finally met up with Sue and Mark. You know the Sue and Mark riding from Yorktown, VA to Astoria, OR. They are almost done and looked happy to be closing in on the finish line.

Funny story…we got to the campsite in a town park. Picked the location for our tents and then started to put them up. I saw a sprinkler in the ground and asked someone if they work. She told me maybe every couple of days and that we should be ok. We decided not to risk it and moved our site. Not 30 minutes later the sprinklers came on and they run all night. Sometimes it’s just better to be lucky (and dry) than smart.

Night all.

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 4,026 miles (6,479 km)

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Michele GordonIn between all that beautiful scenery and the many kind people you have met along the way you witness first hand the negative impact that Covid has had on towns across America ……so sad 😔
On a selfish note I hope you guys continue to find the occasional active groceries /restaurants/bike shops 👍

Good luck on the hills today …you do kinda love the hills though 😉☺️
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2 years ago

Younes GhanianYeah, the impact of Covid on small towns is disastrous and very sad. I gotta tell you Ian, your blog has become my daily go to activity and can’t wait to see the next post or the picture you publish! Did not know you had a fetish for barns😂 till tomorrow!
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonInteresting comment on Covid. John Day is the first place we hid out from Covid, staying there for a month in April just after everything started shutting down. We were looking for a quiet place to self-isolate and found it. Almost everything was shut down. A fantastic month of cycling though.
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2 years ago

Ian GordonMorning Scott. I could see a John Day being a good hideout. Places like Mitchell, Dayville, and Prairie City while quaint seem to have suffered. Lots of miles to ponder how we help them out.

Ride safely!
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2 years ago