Today’s Date: May 26, 2024

Today’s Start Point: Baker City, Oregon

Today’s End Point: Oxbow, Oregon

Today’s Mileage: 70.32 Miles

Cumulative Miles: 670.86

Today I am writing from an area with out much connectivity so no map, sorry.

I can sum up the day of rest in three words-rest, ice and DQ. I wish I could explore more because Baker City appears to have had a rich history and is trying to restore some of that luster with micro-distilleries, brew pubs and niche shopping.

I woke up early today so that I could proceed slowly in order to protect my shin. The shin still hurts a little bit, but the show must go on. The weather was outstanding, not a cloud in the sky. From Baker City I was going to go due east up a two mile climb and then a 30+ mile descent to Richland, Oregon. At Richland, there would be a six mile climb going north and then a 24ish mile downhill to Oxbow, Oregon.

The left shin felt fine on the shortish of the two climbs. There were mountain view’s on each side of the road. It was ridiculously pretty. There were so many beautiful images throughout the day that I started laughing when a new one came into view, I could not believe it.

After the short climb, I dropped fast for the next 30 miles. The descent never seemed to end. As in the past few days, cows and goats occupied the ranches along the way.

At the bottom of the descent was the town of Ridgeland, Oregon. I stopped for some supplies and ate lunch on the bench in front of the store. As I watched the vehicles go by, I noticed a high number of ATV’s. I assume they were on their way to the surrounding canyons.

Now the six mile climb of the day. Only five to six percent grade, but I worried about the shin. I tried to stop periodically up the climb to rest the shin and this seemed to work (I used the excuse that I had to take pictures-ah what we do for art).

The scenery kept getting better and better. Everywhere I looked were mountain peaks.

At the top of the summit, I took the obligatory selfies and started on what seemed a never ending descent (not that I am complaining).

Like on other days, this descent paralleled a stream which had done the original engineering work of cutting a path through the hillsides. It was a combination of snowy mountain tops and carved rock on the roadway. Amazing.

I finally got to Oxbow and found my campground for the night. The campsite is on the Snake River, with the Oxbow side (my side) in Oregon and the other side of the Snake River in Idaho. There is a dam at the campsite’s location owned by Idaho Power. The campsite is also owned and run by Idaho Power.

When I pulled into my space, I was approached by a couple of campers and the camp attendant. They looked apprehensive and I was sure I had done something wrong or broken a rule of camping etiquette (since of course I am soooo experienced of a camper). Turns out there had been a mixup on my reservation and a somewhat large group of family and friends were already in my spot. The camp attendant said he had another spot for me which was fine with me; after 70 miles of riding on a bum leg I could have slept under one of the campers. I think everyone was relieved that the issue could be resolved and the family invited me over for tacos. Such a sweet act, it is always heartwarming to experience these acts of kindness when you are out here on your own.

I set up camp and another camper approached me and told me that he had completed the same transamerica route that I am attempting two years ago. We chatted a long time and he told me of his experiences on the route and gave me some great tips. He also went and got me some ice for my ankle, what a godsend. He is leaving next week to do the Atlantic Route, starting in Key West, Florida and going to Maine. Both he and his wife were in the Army for 20 years so one of his stops will be at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina.

After talking for a while, I finally said goodbye to go enjoy my taco dinner. Everyone was kind and welcoming and were curious about my trip (as well as wondering why in the hell would you be doing this) The tacos were great, and I even tried Elk off of the grill. They had been coming to this campsite for many years for fishing as well as hanging out. I received some good tips and where to get a good ribeye. By the look of some pictures I was shown, nearby streams are packed with salmon.

After that, it was time for bed. Hopefully I can get an early start since the day begins with a seven mile climb.