Today’s Date: May 23, 2024

Today’s Start Point: Mitchell, Oregon

Today’s End Point: Prairie City, Oregon

Today’s Miles: 83.48 Miles

Cumulative Miles: 517.06

I woke up early today to some gloomy and damp weather; not rain, just moist. The plan for today was to get to the town of John Day, Oregon, about a 70 mile ride and 3,800 feet of climbing. I thought I could push the distance since I seemed to handle the 95 miles yesterday reasonably well (amazing how quickly I forgot about the 20+ mph tailwind).

Before setting out, I met five other cyclists going in the opposite direction. They were from Boise, Idaho and nearby Prineville, Oregon and were doing a big loop in the Ochoco Pass area. They had stayed in the bike hostel (the one that was too crowded for me to stay) and raved about the facility. More than envying them for the accommodations, I regret not being able to sit around with other quixotic travelers and hear their stories and get some advice.

Michell sits about three miles up on a total ascent of nine miles. So, no use warming up, if you want to leave town going east you have to go up. The climb was going over Keyes Creek Summit (elevation 4,369 feet). Today seemed more of a slog due to the weather.

When I got to the summit, there was a service truck parked at the top. I stopped to put on some more layers for the descent and struck up a conversation with Jerry, the driver of the truck (in order to be honest, the names cited in this blog may not be the actual name-not to protect the innocent, but because I forgot the individuals real name). He had a cooler of water in the back of his truck and offered me a few bottles. He said the summit is the only place he can get a cellular signal. He stated that he had lived his whole life in Oregon and Alaska and had only been to a large city (Atlanta) once, even though he had been in the army for four years. He went on to regale me with stories about bears and cougars, and how the wolf was also migrating from Yellowstone. He said when it gets hot, the ratttlesnakes like to come out and sun on the road. After these rousing stories about everything that can kill me out here, I said farewell. Lesson learned from the encounter; water-good, stories-eh, not so good.

From the summit, there was a long 25 mile descent, some times sharp, sometimes less so. Every once in awhile it would level for a bit and on these high plains were large herd of grazing cattle.

After about four or five miles of descending, the road went through canyons carved out by Tubb Creek, which ran alongside the road. The road was flanked by high stone walls. I felt as if I was in a Roadrunner cartoon. I think this was the most beautiful ride of my life through the canyons. If I stopped to take pictures of every tremendous view, I would still be out there.

As always, all good things must come to an end and I stopped in Daysville, Oregon for supplies. It was a very eccentric place, mostly ruled by feral cats. At this point I noticed that my left lower shin was beginning to hurt. In all my years of cycling, my shins have never been a problem.

In Daysville, I was about 35 miles into the ride and had been descending for the majority of the time. I started toying with the idea of going beyond John Day, Oregon and stopping in Prairie City, Oregon at a campground that was in my materials. Come on, what could go wrong.

The scenery riding out of Daysville was cow-centric. It appeared to be a valley floor filled with grazing cattle. Later, when I checked the elevations, I discovered that what seemed relatively flat, was really a false flat of about 40 miles with a 2% grade.

As I continued on, the wind had also shifted to a cross/headwind (what the cycling gods giveth…..). At least the wind speed was three to six mph as opposed to yesterday’s 20 mph. My shin was really starting to bother me. A lesser man would have stopped. A much, much smarter man would also have stopped.

I continued on the ride to Prairie City, and the scenery began to change. First, the skies finally began to clear and I felt sun on my face and back. Second, the valley environment was changing back to that high alpine feel, with towering white peaks coming into view. I was in pain, but oh so breathtaking.

I stopped in John Day and had the opportunity to stop, with abundant camping and hotels nearby. Nope, I set a goal and I was going to get to Prairie City, with my shin attached to my leg or be damned. The one challenge before starting this ride was to listen to my body and treat it with respect. I think we can mark a failing grade so far regarding that challenge.

I eventually hobbled into Prairie City at around 5:30 pm, having been on the bike for nine hours today after a seven hour ride yesterday. I found the campsite but it was RV only. There were two hotels listed in Prairie City. I called the first one and it was out of business. I stopped at the other hotel that was on Main Street. She told me that the hotel only had nine rooms but she had one left that had its own bathroom, but it was across the hall. I fell in love with her right then (just kidding Les). The hotel was built in the early 1900’s and just had a recent renovation. Kind of a cross between a B&B and an inn.

The town is charming, with views of the snow capped mountains and a couple of nice restaurants. I decided to eat in my room because I noticed when I took off my left cycling shoe my shin was swollen and sore to the touch. Luckily, the hotel had ice packs so hopefully tomorrow is another day. I will try to make it to Baker’s City, Oregon but it will depend on my leg.