Oregon Coast at Last!

We finished our adventure today by reaching the Oregon coast. We transitioned from the sunny forests to the foggy coast and enjoyed every second. The highlight was dipping our bikes into the Pacific Ocean, duplicating our feat of dipping them in the Atlantic at the start of our trip. I was overjoyed that my sons Jason and Nick were there to greet me at the end of our ride. They drove up from Santa Cruz and will accompany me home.

This was the fulfillment of a dream. I am thrilled that I completed the ride and that I accomplished this with a remarkable group of individuals who also had the time of their lives.

Seeing Paul & Lyn in Eugene

Today I rode from McKenzie Bridge to Eugene, while the rest of the group rode on to Harrisburg. I visited my good friends Paul and Lyn & their fun-loving canines Daisy and Mazy. Paul and Lyn made me feel welcome by letting me stay in their home and feeding me a gourmet shish kebab (or souvlaki) and corn dinner. Afterwards, we went for a stroll in the park and had dessert at a very popular ice cream shop. It’s great to have friends in beautiful places.

Prineville to McKenzie Bridge (middle of nowhere)

Another fun ride through central Oregon. We were treated to views of snow capped peaks and miles of black lava rocks from an observatory atop McKenzie Pass. I was expecting n observatory focused on astronomy, but instead found one made out of lava rocks with cutouts that provided views of the Sisters peaks. I was reminded of the ancient fort in Methoni, Greece, home of my grandparents. Tim and his bike can be seen in front of the observatory below.

Up until now, I have steadfastly avoided counting the number of days we have ridden and the number of days left for our adventure. But at this point I am at last counting days, knowing that there are only 3 days left before we hit the Oregon coast near Florence.

Mitchell to Prineville

We had a short 50 mile ride today with a very good climb. We rode alongside 25 college students who are riding from the east coast to Portland to raise money for cancer. They were a lively group who cheered us on.

Prairie City to Mitchell

Today we rode 80 miles through gorgeous gorges. Stunning scenery the entire way. I probably have been sounding overly positive lately (bordering on the superlative) about our experiences, but the last few states have just taken my breath away (there I go again). Among the photos below is a nice one capturing Debra and friends.

The tiny town of Mitchell seemed split into two worlds. Half of the downtown area was bustling – our bed and breakfast, a cafe, a fuel dispensary, and a new house under construction. Our lodging was a nice change of pace, with places to relax inside and outside on the front porch. The other half of Main Street was boarded up and decaying.

And there was a large cage (pictured below) in Mitchell behind the fuel dispensary. Locals told us the business owner used to keep a bear in the cage and actually let visitors go inside the cage to take photos of the bear.

Baker City to Prairie City

Today we rode over 3 summits on a 65 mile course. Not too difficult and a lot of fun. Forested hillsides followed by dry expanses. A relatively cool day, which was a real plus.

Baker City

It’s been great to relax in Baker City. But we had a scare because it was announced today by the City that there is a parasite, cryptosporidiosis, in the City water supply that has made people sick. We all seem unaffected and have stopped drinking the local water. I am reminded of my dad’s experience when he got typhus from drinking water as a kid.

And despite its water issues, this town has many types of businesses that signal a healthy economy, including bicycle shops, a toy store, a book store, and an ice cream shop.

Halfway to Baker City

We continue to have moderate weather on our ride across our last state, Oregon. Today we arrived in Baker City, an old west town. Tomorrow is our final rest day, so we get to relax for a bit and check out the town.

Heavenly Hell’s Canyon

Today we rode from Cambridge, Idaho to Halfway, Oregon. Not sure what this town is halfway between and no one else seems to know either. Another spectacular day of riding with splendid views of two reservoirs in Hell’s Canyon. I never heard of Hell’s Canyon before, but will never forget the dramatic contrast of blue water and barren hillsides. And we had another killer descent into Hell’s Canyon. You can see Andy below as he crested the summit just before our descent.

And we continue to be very lucky with the weather. A local told us that it is typically 105 to 108 degrees here, but we were treated to a temperate 90 degree ride.

New Meadows to Cambridge

We transitioned from green forests to dry open lands. We also reached 3,500 miles today. And for some reason, while heading directly south yesterday within Idaho, we switched back from Pacific time to Mountain time. And tomorrow we go back to Pacific time. To maintain my sanity, I just kept my watch on Pacific time and am ignoring the time on my cell phone.

Last night, I was very surprised to have Jim, an old friend of my sister Cynthia’s (and her husband Gary’s) who I had never met, find me in our remote camp and bring along enough beer for our entire group. It turns out he lives just a couple miles away from the place we were staying and my sister called him to come meet me. He’s a great guy and we had a wonderful time talking about Cynthia, Gary, and his life out here in Wyoming. Jim told us that his sister rode our route in the opposite direction back in 1976 when the route first began in commemoration of our nation’s 200th anniversary. He works for the US Forest Service and is looking to move back to California. I got the feeling he wants more of a social life.