Big Rocks, Hot Ride

To Smith Rocks, Oregon -- 66.2 miles, 13.4 mph, 2825 ft

The Spoke’n Hostel was a fantastic refuge for a bunch of tired cyclist. It was easily the homiest bunk room I've ever been in. Each bunk had its own lights, curtains and nearby charging outlets. What use to be the church hall, now housed six sturdy, Amish made bunks. Jalet admitted that the original plan was to put another three bunks down the center but when the first one was set into place it felt more like a prison than the wonderful roomy space where cyclists are free to spread out their stuff and park their bikes. Patrick and Jalet are wonderfully kind and inviting people, and it would have been super easy to have stayed a little longer. But, no rest for the wicked. We need to keep moving in order to reach Eugene, 200 miles away on Sunday the ninth. April and Sue need to keep the economy moving after all.

Fortunately, the climb came early and was only 13 miles up. Even though the grade was noticeably steeper than yesterday, I, at least, vastly prefer working hard for a shorter time. I was completely drenched at the top, but happy to have the major climb complete. Even better, today we would get to see Bay Area friends, Craig and Sharyl. Craig, along with Kevin, had been our hiking partners in Nepal and just happened to be camping in Oregon for the Fourth of July. Just as we were leaving the summit rest stop, they pulled up in Craig's little Toyota. It was fantastic to see them not to mention the full bag of ice, Diet Coke for Meg and two liter bottle of Mt Dew for me. They clearly know what hot bikers crave.

 

Kylie's view on the bike

Kylie resting at the top

Meg and Craig at the summit rest stop

The rest of the day was predictably long and hot. When we got to Prineville, 25 miles down the road, it was in the high nineties, and the Club Pioneer restaurant was calling our name. It's actually pretty amazing that riding in ninety or hundred degree heat is not as completely miserable as you might think. As long as you can keep up a reasonable 10+ mph pace, and assuming you sweat and have plenty of water, it's not so bad.

Once in Prineville, we enjoyed a fabulous air conditioned lunch with plenty of drinks. Dex and Kylie each decided to pack in the protein by ordering medium rare sirloin steaks!  Oh well, the one thing we try not to deny ourselves, is food, and I’m just happy to see them eat.

April and Kevin

Kirk and Sue

Kylie and her steak

The last 25 miles after lunch were fairly hard against an annoying headwind. This was the same headwind, in fact, that slowed us down during the thirty miles into Prineville.  Meg was totally overheated, and despite the fantastic rock cliffs of the Smith Rocks State Park, the hard patches of ground around the short, scraggly pines were not very welcoming. The park was packed on this scorching Friday afternoon with scores of rock climbing enthusiasts.

Not to fear, we cooled off with a swim in the Crooked River with Craig, Sue, and Bobby. It turned out to be a fantastic way to rinse the salt out of our riding clothes and to revive weary spirits.

As the sun settled lower in the sky, Craig and Sharyl, the wonderful people they are, got dinner going for the crowd -- fresh salad, grilled corn on the cob, and beef, turkey and veggie cheese burgers. After dinner, Dex and Kylie spent an hour or more scaling the mini climbing wall in camp. My energy level was pretty low, so they were lucky to have the patient guidance of experienced climbers, Craig and April.

Craig and Sharyl, our camp hosts for the night