Last night we stayed at the Kah-Née-Ta Indian resort. Very nice.
This morning we set out about 7:00am for what I thought was going to be a little 60 mile ride to our next destination - Prineville. The sun was out and the sky half filled with puffy white clouds, but it was less than 50 degrees. I actually found the day to be a bit of a tough ride, encountering strong head and cross winds most of the day only one SAG stop today (supply and gear for you non-bike riders) at about mile 30.
Some of the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. For several miles we could see Mount Jefferson, still covered in snow. In the high desert, there is a lot of scrub bushes, but a lot of farming as well with the huge irrigation systems. We saw some hay fields and wheat fields as well as cattle and horses.
After the SAG stop, it was 30 miles to the next stop. The hills were pretty and the road pretty straight with a little up and down. Actually, as pretty as it was, e scenery got somewhat tedious, as it never changed. Others commented the same. Mile 30 to 50, I found a bit challenging, just mile after mile, riding into the headwind. The last 10 miles gave us a bit of a break, as it was mostly downhill. We got into Prineville about 1:30, glad to be done. I stopped to eat at a local Subway restaurant. Quite a line and not just with cyclists. As I was waiting in line, an older woman (I'd guess in her early 70s) had just gotten her food and was ready to sit down to enjoy her lunch when she asked if we were out for a little bike ride today. When I told her about the day's ride and then the overall goal, the look on her face was precious. She wore hearing aids and I suspect she initially thought she didn't hear me right when I asked how far it was to New Hampshire. Then I asked about her town. She told me it sat on a caldera, in a bowl, formed by a volcano hundreds of thousands of years ago. She was waiting for the rodeo to come to town next week, as that's one of the big events in the summer. She told me they grow a lot of mint nearby, for candy and gum. Next time you chew a piece of spearmint gum, think of Prineville, Oregon! She also told me that ine of the big activities was to collect rocks. there were plenty of rocks around, but they look for those that had been spewed out of the volcano. the cut them, polish and sell them. Look up "Thunder Eggs." She was obviously very proud of her town and wanted to make sure we saw their courthouse. Prineville is the county seat of Crook County. She said it named that because of all the crooks they had. She then say down to enjoy her lunch, but before she left, she stopped by and wished me well.
Be well
Again, if you have any questions, whether about biking or anything else, just send an email to. donwisler@att.net, or make a comment to the blog.
Don
Love the descriptions, Don, about the riding, the conversations and local lore and will be interested to hear stories from other riders as well as the trip unfolds. I can definitely relate on the ride related stuff. One question -- seems that the posting are lagging a day or so. Reading your post dated 6/20 but headlined 6/21 on 6/22 is a bit odd to me. I was under the impression that Friday's ride was the big 117 miler but perhaps you were so wiped out that you haven't gotten to it yet. In any event, keep taking the time you need to talk to the local historians and checking out the court houses in those little towns you pass through.
ReplyDeleteYou just keep on going, Boy. I pray every night that you get through the Rockies. I just completed GOBA. Unlike your terrain, it was very flat.
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