Silver linings – Day 6

Date: Wednesday 11th August 

Route: Mitchell, Oregon – John Day, Oregon

 Distance: 70 miles

Total climb: 3297ft

Net climb: 364ft

This morning’s start set the tone for the day.  After a debate last night about whether or not to take our one permitted muffin each for breakfast to the room, to avoid them being stolen by other residents, I was disappointed to find that someone had taken one of ours.  Despite the fact that all others staying there were cycling most of the day downhill and had shorter mileage to tackle than us, they clearly felt justified in a second toffee muffin before the off.  Ordinarily, this would be a minor blow, but Mitchell is a small place and food a scarce resource.  I was therefore grateful that Jay could rise above his moral victory and spare some crumbs.

We headed down to the only ‘open’ diner for breakfast to find it was closed – a big hit, given the c.1,700ft climb that separated us from further facilities. Out came the reserves – Nutrigrains for Jay and Clif Bars for me (not very tasty).  I then remembered that there was an espresso drive through, a short downhill ride from where we came yesterday.  Our first silver lining for the day came in the form of hot drinks, sausage and egg sandwiches and a further muffin each.

The climb went well, over Keyes Creek Pass, leading to a massive downhill for many miles towards Dayville and lunch, rolling between fossil-filled cliffs.  Then came the storms.  At first, we were met with a light drizzle and views of fork lightning striking the rocks ahead (somewhat unnerving).  This quickly turned to heavy downpours and the first call for jackets and overshoes on the trip.  At least we were but a few miles from lunch and heading downhill, unlike a group of other cyclists we passed heading in the opposite direction.

Dayville lunch was uneventful, but we knew the storms would be picking up for the afternoon.  We raced on for the next target stop in Mt Vernon, charging up for a final 22 miles to Prairie City.  However, it quickly became apparent that I’d broken a rear wheel spoke again, leading to a delicate ride into some heavy easterlies, fingers crossed for a bike shop in John Day.

On arrival, the bike shop was closed, my wheel was clearly not fit to ride a further 50+ miles to the next shop, so we had to cut the day short.  For those questioning our maintenance skills (probably fairly, given their limits), the issue is having the kit to remove the cassette on the rear wheel and to true it properly – not easy on the road.  First setback of the trip – falling short of target for the day.

Silver lining… some quick thinking by Jay secured us the final hotel room in John Day this evening, which happens to be a Best Western with a pool, jacuzzi and laundry facilities (not much more expensive than the other motels we have been staying in, bizarrely.  It is a little luxurious, but useful to ease a few niggles and prepare for some long catch up days ahead.  We then discovered that our planned residence in Prairie City was without food, adding to the good feeling about being stuck here tonight.

I’m hoping the shop opens early tomorrow, so we can sort the wheel and play catch up.  Speaking of which, we are still placed fourth in ‘the race’ by our calculations, having only been overtaken by three other bikes since Astoria (two of which I think were taking shopping home from the grocery store – any overtaking counts as a place change, whether touring or not). 

Other loosely notable matters:

– front panniers are now the plan, to balance out the weight and try to minimise spoke breakage

– I’ve become a little obsessed with the threat of rattlesnakes, reinforced in Mt Vernon by locals talking of pits of them and how they all come out onto the roads for the warmth in the late afternoons

– being served three courses at once in the restaurant this evening (not at our request), which may lead to some indigestion

– HBO on the tv in this motel, probably resulting in Jay staying up beyond midnight again

– confirmation that the bear in Mitchell did exist, but left when one of the stores in town shut and the owners moved on (Ace seems to be infamous in the badlands)

We’d love to keep hearing from you all and the offer is still open to fly out or head over and join the ride.

FP