Day 5: 40 miles. Total: 292.

Took it easy today. 4 days of hard riding took it's tool. After a good night's sleep my body knew it was time for a change of pace.

Went to the REI in Bend to get a few things. Very upscale, in a shopping center with all kinds of exclusive shops. Ran into a roadie there who gave me directions through, and out of, town.

Very different today. Headed east out of Bend. Pretty soon I was rolling through juniper trees on a good road with little traffic. It felt good to relax after 2 days of highway 97. I decided to just coast down the hills and never touched my big chain ring once.

Eventually I was back in juniper country and started climbing gradually. I stopped for lunch at a park they have for ATVs (they ca then OHVs) with trails through the sage brush and junipers. The had several of these over quite a few miles. I stopped because there were picnick tables. I saw a few ATVs starting out, but they were soon out of sight and hearing.

Then it was a steep decent into another world, or another state. I coasted down into a steep canyon that looked more like Arizona than Oregon. It led to the Prineville Reservoir, which, as many reservoirs, is not all that pretty except for being a big body of water.

I stopped at the first campground I came to after the dam. I think this is the Crooked River. If you've ever stopped to look at the Crooked River wher hwy. 97 crosses it you know what a steep canyon it runs through. I'm sitting in my hammock as I write. There's no service so I'll post it tomorrow from Prinville. Right now the sun is on me and it feels like 80 degrees. In a minute a cloud will block the sun and the wind will come up and it will feel like 50. It's been like that all day It's only 15 miles to Prineville and it looks like I've got quite a bit more downhill ahead of me. I'll have to layer up for the morning ride. The sun will disapear behind the canyon wall early tonight, but it looks like decent exposure for the morning sun.