ROUTE: Baker City to Ontario, OR
DISTANCE: 83 miles
WINDS: Not a factor until the Snake River and the flat section into town when it became a pretty good headwind
WEATHER: Sunny and clear to begin, then stiff headwind and overcast, yet hot
TERRAIN: Downhill most of the way, but the last 20 miles into town were pretty flat
TOTAL CLIMBING: 2190 feet
RIDE OVERVIEW: There were lots of smiles on faces this morning as riders queued to load luggage. Today was to be mostly unearned downhill along the Interstate and then the Snake River. In fact today was the first day riders would ride parts of the Interstate. Mike had talked to them last night at Route Rap about the protocol for Interstate riding--Ride as far right on the shoulder as possible, get behind the guardrail when you have a mechanical or need to stop, avoid running over tire bits that contain little tube puncturing wires, avoid pacelines, ride in small groups so that one person can always turn to face the traffic coming from behind, and, most importantly, cross on-ramps and off-ramps using the shortest distance between two points and beware of fast moving exiting and entering traffic.
Once again, the scenery today was spectacular. Many high brown grassy hills folded one behind the other, long swooping roadways cut through the hills and stone; cattle ranches, cattle and cowboys; vegetable farmers growing onions, sugar beets corn, potatoes, wheat, and mint. Derelict wooden buildings, a cement plant, even one place where two RR tunnels cut through the hillside. Picture perfect romantic west--the unsuspecting would never guess that this was Oregon, our next to last day in the state.
I have an infected nailbed on my right great toe and it was a killer in my tight cycling shoes. Nonetheless, I rode Sweep today for about 48 miles, and then threw in the towel and climbed aboard Silver. Hi ho Silver, and away! Silver carried me to the second SAG stop which I (wo)manned after that. This gave Karen a chance to get in a few miles. She was eagerly awaiting me at the SAG stop, a put-in place on the Snake River. There were several people camped there in their RVs and the entire area reeked of dead or dying fish! The route from here on in was along the Snake and through vast vegetable fields. It clouded over and rained a few drops on some of the later riders, but nothing serious. I was glad the rain was minimal as thunderstorms had been forecast for Ontario in the afternoon.
At Route Rap this evening we said good-bye to four riders: Dennis & Dr. Steve, and Kent & Pete. Each was given a farewell packet and each said their individual farewells to the group. We will miss them. Dr. Steve quipped that without Dennis' permission he had signed Dennis up for a bike tour from Fairbanks to Miami. Dennis responded that there was a Fairbanks about 3 miles from Miami, so that must be the tour start.
Ontario--located in an area of Oregon known as Western Treasure Valley--is an Indian word said to mean "beautiful lake" or "beautiful prospect of rocks, hills, and water." In this city on the Snake River and the border with Idaho, you can still walk in the wagon wheel ruts where the Oregon trail crosses the Snake River. Four rivers converge in the Western Treasure Valley: The Snake, the Malheur, the Owyhee, and the Payette. The origin of their names is interesting. Malheur means evil hour (bad fortune) and was named by the Hudson's Bay Company's Peter Skene Ogden who lost a cache of furs there in 1825. The Owyhee 's name evolved out of a scouting expedition led by Donald McKenzie in 1818. Two Hawaiian Islanders accompanying the party disappeared in the Owyhee River area and by the 1830's the river had become known as the "Owyhee," a derivation of the word "Hawaii." The Payette River was named after the French trapper Jose Payette, and the Snake's name is suggestive of its snake-like windings and was also given to a tribe on its banks.
Well enuff history. Suffice it to say that today was another beautiful day to be on our bikes and out in the grand American countryside. Below is a descending song I sing to myself on long downhills. It's to the tune of the Platters' "Great Pretender."
Oh yes, I'm the great descender
Descending I'm doing so well;
My speed is such; I descend in a rush
It scares me, but no one can tell.
Oh yes I'm the great descender,
Oh yes I'm the great descender,
Just cycling and speeding downhill
I pretend to be a racer you see; Hell
I'm wearing my brakes half way down
Descending from mountain to town.
HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:
- "Now this is the ride I signed up for!"
- "Thank you for this day."
- "Gravity rocks!"
- "Mike would you SAG me back up to the top so I can do that again?"
- "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Haw!"
PHOTOS OF THE DAY:
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| Jim has a selection of pumps but no rear tire to air up. |
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| Jim deftly tops off the air in his tires under the watchful eye of friend Pete..."There Grasshopper, you've mastered the art of compressing Oregon air." |
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| Duane successfully executes the complex ballet extension le bicyclette. |
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| Greg and Linda leapt to the rescue when a tree started to fall on the SAG table |
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| And, one, two, three. . .one, two three. . . |
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| Dennis and Brian stopped at the Bait and Tackle for a little sushi pick-me-up. |
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| Chips was excited to be hanging with the fast guys, but Albert deftly used his hand to hide Chip's identity... Chip's wife will never know he was playing with the big boys. |
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| A sand burr or goat head that will puncture your tire |
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| Colorful riders catch the interest of a roadside horse. |
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| Jim and Pete ride together. Jim had to carry the helmet mounted sign that warned motorists that they were riding slow. |
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