Day 12: 62 miles. Total: 600

Halfway, Oregon is one of the most beautiful places I have yet seen. It's like a hidden valley, very green, with the Wallowa mountains towering over it. The valley is wide with hay fields and horses, with lots of different trees along the creeks. The hillside to the west and north is pine forest, while the east slopes are mostly bare with trees growing up the draws. Much like Ashland in that respect. But the mountains are like nothing I've seen elsewhere.

I'm staying at a horse ranch, Lone Fir Friesians, that I found through warmshowers.org. Warm showers is a website where people can register to offer a place to stay to bike tourists. Inga, who owns this place, has been doing this for a while. She lives here with her 14 year old son and her boyfriend Dan. She's been here for 16 years raising and working these Friesian horses

They get 10 feet of snow here in the winter between December and March. Temperature between 10 and 20. Way too cold for me. I remember that I enjoyed living in northeastern Washington where it got much colder, -20, but now I can't handle anything much below 50. I wonder if it is a long term effect of a vegitarian diet?

I had a fun ride getting here. Met up with some young people, Kelsey, Rachel, and Dan, from Iowa. They rode the bus west and are riding east to Yellowstone. We parted ways in Richland where they camped, while I pushed on to Halfway. And a push it was with 3 miles of 7% grade over bare hills.

I woke up early to bright sunshine. It was a warm night, the warmest yet. Although this valley gets a huge amount of snow, the winters are relatively short, and it looks like they have a decent growing season. I'm setting on a little deck behind the barn looking out over lush hay fields at the southeastern most peaks of the Wallowa mountains. It's hard for me not to wonder what might have been had I been able to manifest a place like this and succeed at farming. This is ideal horse country here. Inga cuts and rakes hay with her Friesian horses. I did that with my Belgian draft horses years ago. There is nothing more timeless than working horses. Their slow pace just transcends time and space and you feel like you could be in another century, doing what farmers have done forever. I'm under no illusion that I could do that again. It's long hours of hard work. Then again so is bike touring. If I could ride 600 miles to get here who knows what else might be possible.

Day 11: 66 miles. Total: 538

It rained all night and was quite cold. In the morning you could see fresh snow on some of the ridges. I got up early enough to see Scotta before she left for work, and thank her for their hospitality. It was great to have a dry place to sleep and friendly people to visit. I hope I get back to Boulder Creek Ranch again someday.

It was cold and gray as I headed back up the middle fork of the John Day river, with occasional drizzle. I was able to warm up okay as the grade was slightly uphill. When I got back to hwy. 7 it started raining a little harder, but by the time I got my rain covers, and jacket on and got going again it stopped and didn't rain again all day.

I got warmed up just fine climbing Tripton pass. As has been the case for the last 4 climbs, it was a steady 4 - 6 percent, perfect for bike touring. At the top was a interpretive sign about the old railway that used to come trough here but eventually had to give up due to the amount of snow in the winter. The downhill was chilly but at least it wasn't raining. It was still well forested with ponderosa pine, and I had crossed over to the Wallowa-Whitman national forest.

The next climb came pretty quick and this one was different. Instead of one long steady grade there were shorter steeper climbs with easier sections in between. You could see Huckleberry Mountain to the south but I did not get a picture. Sumpter Pass was also over 5000 feet but had no sign. The downhill was fast and pretty soon I was cruising by the town of Sumpter. It was 3 miles off the road so I didn't stop. There was now a large and foreboding mountain range to the north with lots of fresh snow.

I stopped at Union Creek campground to see if any bike tourists were there and to have lunch. At $18 a spot they weren't going to get any bike tourists unless they were in a group. I had already made up my mind to continue to Baker City as it was too cold to camp.

After the reservoir the road started going downhill again following the Powder River. This of course was very confusing because the Powder River is in Montana and Wyoming. This Powder River feeds the Snake, while the better known one feeds the Yellowstone.

The road followed the river most of the way to Baker City. The river got wider and the valley opened up to ranches. Soon the pines gave way and the hillsides were mostly bare. Occasionally I caught sight of some very big, and very white mountains to the northeast. I'm pretty sure these were the Elkhorn range. The mountains I had been riding through, together with the Elkhorn and the Willowas are collectively known as the Blue Mountains of Oregon.

I got to Baker City at about 4:00 after a nice 66 mile ride. It was warmer and I was considering camping at one of the private campgrounds in town, but I found a nice enough motel and the lady even gave a discount to bike tourists because they are listed on the ACA Trans-Am map. I found a bench to sit down and call the motels when I saw this sign on a bench. Too much to think about.

Baker City is full of road racers here for the Elkhorn Classic Stage Race. The first stage is tomorrow. Do you think they'd let me ride along with the peleton?

Day 9: 54 miles. Total: 472

The hiker/biker campground at Clyde Holiday State Park was great. I got a hot shower and slept warm and comfortable. The next town, John Day, was only a few miles. John Day is the biggest town in the area. We spent some time looking, in vain, for a fuel canister for John's Jetboil. All they have out here are the big Coleman canisters. I can see why so many people say that a white gas stove is the only way to go. I'm glad I picked up an extra canister in Bend, but I regret not insisting that John take it

As we approached Prairie City the Strawberry Mountains starting coming into view to the south. At 9,000 feet there is still snow on them.

The ride kept getting more and more scenic as we continued. We stopped for a long brunch in Prairie City. I had blueberry/rhubarb pie. John had some stuff waiting at the post office there. After Prairie City the mountains were even closer and quite picturesque across the green valley.

Soon we started to climb up the grade to Dixie Pass. No idea why something out here would be called Dixie. Once again the climb was a stead 4 to 6 percent. Each of the last three days we've had a climb similar to Greensprings but easier. On the way up there was a view point looking back on Strawberry Mountain.

Soon we were back in the pines and of course it was much cooler on top. Just half a mile from the summit was the Dixie campground which was John's destination for the day. Here we parted ways as I was heading on to Linda's high school friend Scotta's ranch further ahead. It was great riding with John these last few days. We looked at how we might meet up again but after today I'll be a day behind him, and if I go into the Wallows, a week behind.

I didn't take this shot, but this is the famous prairie schooner that we passed on the way up Dixie Pass.

So I continued along solo down the northeast side of Dixie Pass. Here the world changed again and it felt like I was back in Oregon. The pines on top gave way to a lush mixed forrest of pine, fir, and tamarack. I was reaally excited to see tamarack as I hadn't seen these since we lived in northeastern Washington. I expected the forrest to thin out as I descended but it didn't. I soon came to Austin Junction which was surrounded by forrest. The store/resturant was closed as expected. Here the Trans-Am route leaves US highway 26, which cuts southeast, and instead takes state highway 7, which heads northeast. Another mile up was county road 20 which was my cutoff for Boulder Creek Ranch. I would follow the middle fork of the John Day river downstream for 13.5 miles. This was a tough ride as there was a stiff wind comming up the valley. Fortunatley it was mostly downhill so I was able to keep it over 10 mph most of the way. The valley is well forested and quite scenic. It's mostly pines but you could see firs on the ridges.

Day 10 - Rest day at Boulder Creek Ranch

Les and Scotta have had this ranch for about 5 years. They here after living for many years near Salem, which is quite a change. This place is abount as remote as it gets, surrounded by BLM and tribal land. I didn't see any other places on the way in. They have horses and goats and dogs and a guest cabin which the rent out as a get-a-way destination. Very nice. Scotta served me a great dinner and showed me around the ranch. Today I'm taking a rest day as I've ridden for 9 days straight. It is much colder here, and today it is cloudy and windy. A good day to not ride.

The old shepherd's wagon where I slept my second night at Boulder Creek ranch.

Here is a link to the Boulded Creek Ranch website.

Day 8: 63 miles. Total 418

Another relaxed morning at the park in Mitchell. Had breakfast with Adinah and Chris and said our goodbyes as they have to head back to Portland.

Rode with John up the 6 miles of 4 to 6 percent grade to the top of Keyes Creek Summit. Then we pretty much coasted for the next 20 miles. I stopped to take this picture and ran into a trio headed west with a support vehicle, taking turns driving. One of them was completing the Trans-Am trip he started last year. The driver gave us gatoraide. He also told us about this campground, Clyde Holiday State Park.

Dayville was unexpectedly green. The lady at the store said it was the rainiest spring anyone could remember.

Ran into Phil who was riding with his niece and a support car with Oregon license plate "velocar". They were riding unbranded carbon frames that they got cheap from Tiwan and then decked out with full Campy Record parts.

After that we had another 22 miles of easy riding to Mount Vernon. Stopped at the Silver Spur for dinner. Ran into 4 riders from Boise who where doing a week long loop. And then Phil showed up and sat with us. After dinner we proceeded to the Clyde Holiday state park which has hiker/biker sites. I was pleased to see Jim and Kathy, whom we meet the previous night in Mitchell, were already there.

Day 7: 40 miles. Total: 345

Adinah served up a nice breakfast for us and we hung out and visited for a while. It was going to be another sunny warm day. We decided that John and I would ride up to Ochoco Divide and Chris and Adinah would meet us there, after doing some exploring on there own.

We knew it was 25 miles to the summit and 2000 foot elevation gain. It turned out to be a great climb with only one short 6% section. The country changed again, first going through some nice farmland before climbing along Ochoco Creek. It was green and well watered the whole way. Soon we climbed out of the junipers and into the pines. I knew there was a campground at the top having stayed there on the way to Idaho in 2005. to put things into perspective, on that trip this was our stop the first night out. By bike it took me a week.

Adinah and Chris met us at the top and we had a nice lunch. It's great to be eating some good food. They decided to go look for the "Painted Hills" while we finished our ride to Mitchell.

It was a fast downhill from Ochoco Divide into completely different country. Much more arid with sparse junipers. The exception was a very nice farmstead along Bridge Creek, with a garden and an orchard. It was the first I have seen people growing food for humans instead of cows on the trip so far. Soon the road leveled off and it got very hot. We had a few miles to go to get to Mitchell. All we know about Mitchell was that they allowed camping in the "Lions Club park". When we got here we could see it was a really old, run down down, and we weren't sure what to expect. But sure enough there was a nice park with some willow trees, along the creek, and some tents already setup. We pulled right in to a picnic table under a roof, with lots of grass to pitch our tents. There was water and a bathroom with a flush toilets! All for free. It seemed ironic that the smallest, poorest town, would have the best accommodations for cyclists. We went into the store and they even had us sign their guest book.

Soon Adinah and Chris showed up and we sat around, I played her guitar, we had some snacks and beer. Then Adinah made the best dinner I've had in a long time. Lentil burgers and salad. Wow!

Soon some other cyclists showed up, also heading east. They are Jim and Kathy and you can read about there trip here. Jim soon discovered that someone in the neighborhood had an opened wi-fi access point. Here we are, on the edge of nowhere, far from cell phone service, and we have wi-fi! Not only that but the little roofed in area has power outlets. Out come the laptops, iPhones, blackberries. Kathy even has an iPad. It seems bicycle tourists are all techies. We all had to get to work on our blogs!

Day 6: 30 miles. Total: 305

Things got a lot slower once I got east of Bend. I remember in the book "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" he said that when he hit US 97 going west that the energy changed and everything started moving faster. I took offense when I first read that thinking that we were pretty laid back on the west coast. But there is no denying that things go at a slower pace once you get far enough away from the major population centers. Either that or my legs are just getting tired.

It was a nice, mostly downhill, ride into Prineville, where it was warm and sunny. I stopped at a park to call Linda. Then I picked up a subway and went to another park to eat it. Eventually I headed out of town, east on US 26.

At thus point I am now on the Trans-Am bicycle route 76 which goes from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown Virginia. I expect to run into other cyclists on this route.

It was not far from Prineville to Ochoco Lake, my next destination. When I got there I was disappointed to find it fu;ll of RVs and campers and lot's of people. However thid is where I was meeting Adinah (my daughter) and Chris, so I got the last spot and was happy for it. It is actually a very nice place, and a large lake. Plus they had showers!

I ran into another bike tourist who is also heading east. His name is John and he is from Virginia. He took the train to Seattle and started riding there. He rode down the coast and picked up the Trans-Am in Astoria. He rode over McKenzie Pass, the first cyclist to do so this year. We decided to ride together and see how it goes.

Adinah and Chirs didn't get in until late, after I had gone to bed.

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.

Day 4: 57 miles. Total: 235

Decided it was too cold for the Cascade Lakes. Headed back to hwy. 97 on the Crscent cutoff road. Saw this about 2 miles from Crescent.

Had a nice deli sandwich at Gilcrest and saved half of it for later. It was still very cold so I decided just to head for Bend and stay at a motel. The wind was mostly out of the west, sometimes at my back, sometimes at my face, but mostly from the side. Highway 97 has a pretty good shoulder the whole way. The best parts have a rumble strip and then a 4 foot lane to the right. I felt quite safe when it was like that.

I stopped along the way, when the sun was coming out, and setup the hammock between some pine tress a couple of hundred yards from the road. Had a nice nap but then it started getting cold and it was time to ride on.

Got to Bend about 6:30 and checked in to the Super 8. Had a great shower and went down the street for pizza a beer. Now doing laundry.

Day 3: 86 miles. Total: 178

I didn't really want to ride that many miles today. There were supposed to be several campgrounds back a way but I never saw them. Actually it was the easiest 86 miles I ever rode. Wind at my back most of the way. Cold wind I might add. It rained a little in the late afternoon and again at the campground, but this Central Oregon rain is pretty wimpy.

Ran into another bike tourist today. Derrick had ridden up from California. You can check out his journal. He had stopped to fix a flat when I ran into him. We road together for a while but then I turned off on hwy. 58 and he kept going towards Gilchrist.

Highway 58 was a fine ride, west back towards the Cascades. It was getting colder and even rained a little. The campground I wanted, on the Little Deschutes River, was not to be found so I kept riding. I realized I wouldn't have enough water if I couldn't find a campground, but I got some from a trucker who was stopped on the side of the road. It was late when I got to the campground but the days are long. I was the only one there. It was cold and lonely. Got the tent up, got a fire going, had dinner, and got to bed.

Day 2: 45 miles. Total: 92 miles

No service here at Jackson Kimball park so I'll post this when I pass through Chilliquin in the morning. Right now I'm trying to type and swatt mosquitos at the same time. This is a beautiful spot on the headwaters of the Wood River, but I'm pretty sure this is where all the mosquitos in the world are born.

I had a much easier ride today. After a gentle 5 miles to the summit on highway 140, it was all down hill to West Side road. Then 20 miles of easy rollers followed by 7 miles completely flat, on in to Fort Klamath. There is a little store now at Joe's Motel that has organic food! I got a bannana, an oatmeal strawberry muffin, a hard boiled egg, and some ice tea.

The days are really long now. I got to the campground at 2:30 leaving lot's of time to do stuff. I took a water bottle shower. I wanted to use the river but it's very marshy and you can't easily get to it.

Looks like it will be a long day tomorrow. The gravel road I wanted to take looks very ridable. There is just the matter of these huge gravel trucks that are hauling through there at 60 miles an hour. I was also told the logging trucks would run me off the road. So I'll have to go south 10 miles to Chilliquin and get on highway 97 there. I was hoping to avoid 97 but that's where I'll be tomorrow.