One Pedal Stroke at a Time...

Prairie City to Ontario, Oregon

These past days have been marked by slow progress, apprehension, and deliberating over details. When writing the last post, we sat in the homey and comfortable Hotel Prairie, in Prairie City, looking at snow covered mountains standing between us and our next destination. It was easy to find reasons to stay one more day.

We met Raven, (the cyclist I met several years ago), and another very accomplished touring cyclist, Bill, in Prairie City. They both preceded us out of town, over the mountain passes and through the open high desert region of Malheur County, Oregon. Raven and Bill are both formidable long distance cyclists and we were intimidated by their reports of sketchy towns and the hard miles they covered. These reports made it easier to stay another day in the warm comfort of the Hotel Prairie.

Come what may, we needed to push on. We steeled ourselves, packed up, got on the bikes and pedaled out of Prairie City. It was cold; threatening to rain. The climb started immediately. It provided sweeping views of the John Day valley from where we had cycled the previous week. It was satisfying to know we traversed this under our own power! Looking up the mountain ahead however, provided a different feeling. It was lost in clouds. We pulled raincoats from our panniers as the rain began to fall. Campers and trucks zoomed by in torrents of mist. We pedaled upward.

Our relief was short-lived as we crested the first pass. The stream and small banks of snow alongside the roadway foretold our misery. The character of the precipitation changed from rain to ice or snow I cannot say which. When rolling down hill at 20 mph, in shorts, on a bicycle, through frozen stuff, one feels pain. We wished for the climb again!

The temperature rose as we descended the easterly slope of Blue Mountain Pass, toward the town of Unity. In spite of our worries, Unity provided a comforting spot for us to overnight. We had breakfast with a local rancher. We learned about cattle and rodeo. His grandson was last year’s Oregon high school rodeo champion. He wears the belt buckle with pride.

The road to the next town was unexpectedly beautiful. We freewheeled through rimrock canyons. There were huge horizons across sagebrush, encircled by distant, snow capped ranges. Brilliant, wildflowers splashed hillsides for miles. A welcome tailwind pushed us into the dreary spot on the map called Brogan. Brogan made an impression. To call it dreary is generous. We slept in a grubby RV campground. The saving grace of the Brogan RV campground was the evening we spent with another cyclist, Mark from New Zealand. Over dinner and a sip of whiskey, we got to know Mark better and enjoyed his company. We leapfrogged each other to our current location; Ontario, Oregon.

In this Ontario motel we are again stalled by inclement weather and apprehension. We will soon be heading into Idaho’s rugged Sawtooth Mountains. As we embark on the challenging roads and mountains of Idaho, we remind ourselves, “we’ll get there one pedal stroke at a time.”

STATS

Total Miles to Date: 629

Route Since Last Post: Prairie City, Dixie Pass, Blue Mountain Pass, Unity, Brogan, Vale, Ontario, Oregon.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Getting to know fellow cyclists Bill and Mark.

Breakfast with the local rancher in Unity.

Cold on Dixie Pass, (not a fun type of highlight, but one we will remember).

Brogan, Oregon, (again one of those tough times one remembers).

Malheur County, Oregon

Brrrr….

Warming in the sun.

Unexpected, stunning views.

Pool, anyone?

The bus is for sale.