Unforgiving sun and shrub-covered canyons and peaks were our company today. A tough ride once again following the Oregon Trail that proved to be a good challenge for our Bike America Team. It was well worth the effort for where we stayed in town tonight - not to mention the sandwiches and espresso milkshakes.
Always a lovely sight: long sunrise bike shadows.
Ride Overview
Mileage: 74.9
Elevation: +4429’/-3181’
General Direction: Follow northbound roads through West Ontario to reach westbound I-84 at Exit 374, ride in the shoulder for 43.6 miles through nine exits and many ranch settlements and mountain access points, take exit 330 at mile 46.1 to reach westbound Old Highway 30, ride on this road for one marathon, then use residential streets to close out the route in Baker City and reach the hostel.
Points of Interest: Snake River, Snake River Valley, Burnt River, Burnt River Valley, Columbia Plateau (southern region, general canyon, plateau, and mountain scenery)
The Snake River, and our old friend Idaho on the other side.
One detail I forget to mention below - a top 10 sunrise for today. :)
Tales of the Trail
Another nearly 44-mile-long segment on our old friend I-84 gave us some brilliant desert scenery which began with a fair amount of climbing but eventually steadied itself as rock walls began to raise above us. The highway followed some open plains as well as the Snake River, wide and contrasted against the tan of the hills, that eventually created a canvas of canyon walls surrounding it. A rail line and the Burnt River (and of course, all the cars) were our company until we could exit onto Old U.S. 30 over halfway through the day. Who knew that Oregon and Arizona had so much in common?
Flat . . .
After flat . . .
Kathryn (L) and Sam R (R) taking the long descent toward the Snake River Valley.
Paul, Edward, Jean, and Hanna, and JB (NP) crossing into our final time zone of the journey. These are both incredibly symbolic and give us the illusion of waking up an hour later for a while.
One more rest stop near this highway exit allowed many to join the van and get out of the heat while the rest kept trucking for town. Flats were once again a common occurrence, and today included two at the same time as well as two on the same bike. A long descent beginning at mile 64 made us feel grateful, and in our tired states we zipped into town, only just appearing around one final hill, and twisted and turned our way into the lot of Churchill School Bike Hostel. Oh yeah, and Edward had this crazy pull up the hardest part of the climb for five miles, just, absolutely wild.
Sam R and Jaylen weave their way through the desert.
Some toasty cows grazing in a pocket between the ridge line.
JB pointing out a rough shoulder during the final few miles.
This stayover is a special one - our first true hostel of the cross-country ride! Truly a one of a kind space: there was a kitchen area, couches, and bunk beds in the same room, with showers connected to one of the stalls in the all-gender bathroom. This converted old school also serves as a concert and event venue with its own auditorium! We had quite the relaxing stay whether in the main room or outside among the quirkily bike-themed decor. Tomorrow, the mileage ticks up a little more as we ride through a couple of national forests to reach the town of John Day.
Moving into our colorful and pretty dang cool home for the night.
Another successful prom-posal of Hanna + Nabeel!
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Hanna Fei
How are you today? I’m doing pretty good. It was a pretty hard day today. We were on the interstate for most of today and it was pretty windy, but we’re staying at the Churchill School which is a bike hostel and it is really cool.
In your opinion, what makes a good I4K teammate? Someone who takes responsibility, is supportive of all of their teammates, and is there for others when they’re having a hard time.
Where was the best ice cream you’ve had so far? I feel like I don’t get ice cream as often as everyone else on the team, but when we were in Sandusky, Jon, Olivia, and I went to Golly Gee Ice Cream and I got a berry flavored “flavorburst” on a soft serve cone which was really good. I’m lactose-intolerant, so I feel like I have to limit my ice cream intake, but that’s what Lactaid is for!
How have you improved in handling the bike during the ride? Before the ride, we had never really experienced any hills or mountains, so I have definitely learned a lot about when to shift under these conditions. I also recently learned how to ride without hands, so that’s fun!
If you could snapshot one favorite or at least special sight, place, or moment in your mind that you’ve experienced on the bike, what would it be, where was it, and on what ride day? I feel like the accomplishment of getting up to Loveland Pass and the view at the top, along with the feeling of knowing I had climbed this mountain, was really special to me. I feel like the buildup to the peak was really hard due to the elevation and how long it was, everyone in my group was struggling except for you (got lucky that day), but we made it through together and it just made getting to the top feel really good. And, of course, it was beautiful up there and we could see so far, and there was snow on the top of the mountains.
In ten words or less, how will you remember this ride when we complete it? An impactful and life-changing experience, lifelong friends, and lentils.
Please visit the rider profiles page on the website to learn more about this year’s riders! :)
It’s always so difficult to pick from Paul’s nature photos, they’re all just so good!
Oh.